chsdbacks Chapter 1191: Belief Brings Existence
Chapter 1191: Belief Brings Existence
As Ning Fan charged into the Light Ant Nest, several figures deep within the nest seemed to sense something, and sneered disdainfully.
"Haha, fell into the trap, fell into the trap... another poor soul lured in by the Mother. The Mother’s illusion magic is as formidable as ever, no one in this world can wield illusions through light better than her..." one of them spoke with disdain.
"Unfortunately, this kid is only a little Immortal King. Even if Mother digests him, she probably won’t gain much useful nourishment..." another regretted.
"Hmm? Did you all feel that? The All-Knowing Madman has also come in, this old thing is not easy to deal with..." another said.
"The All-Knowing Madman also came? Hmph! None of you fight with me! This old bastard is my prey! I can pass on the little Immortal King, but the All-Knowing Old Bastard, I must personally take him down!"
Suddenly, a burly black shadow stood up from the corner, snorted coldly, shook his body, and vanished without a trace.
Seeing the burly man act in such a manner, the others were somewhat dissatisfied.
"Damn it! Black Ant got the jump again! Does he not respect hierarchy at all?! He always takes the first bite!"
"Hmph! If it wasn’t for the upcoming Queen Ant competition, I would suggest the High Priest severely punish this man!"
"Forget it! Back in the day, Black Ant was taken by the All-Knowing Madman for research and suffered a huge loss in cultivation. How could he not hate? If the All-Knowing Madman hadn’t entered the nest, there’d be nothing we could do, but he stepped daringly into this place, so now everything is up to us! Such a rare chance for revenge, Black Ant won’t let it slip by..."
...
In the Light Ant Nest, a Golden Flame Giant wielded the Liangyi Guarding Sword, rampaging around as if in a no man’s land.
Lower-rank Light Ants blocking the way, or tendrils bursting from the depths of the nest, anyone who dared to approach was cleaved by the sword of the Golden Flame Giant.
The Liangyi Guarding Sword indeed lives up to its name as an Innate Superior Treasure. With this sword in hand, Ning Fan’s cultivation surged by twenty percent, his mana rising astonishingly to 17,000 Calamities!
This sword’s lethality was even more immeasurable. The mysterious tendrils that troubled Ning Fan before could not withstand the sharpness of this sword. Wherever the sword pointed, the mysterious tendrils were pulverized into dust!
Ning Fan charged all the way to the depths of the Light Ant Nest, but as he stepped into the depths, the scene before him suddenly changed!
The surroundings were no longer an underground cave, but transformed into an astonishing world of flesh!
Sky and earth were both composed of the flesh of unknown creatures. This was a scarlet space, and more bizarrely, the entire scarlet space wriggled as if alive.
A very powerful life force!
This scarlet space seemed like a living creature!
"Is Mistress Xiao Man really trapped here? Was the voice I heard before real, or just an illusion... they say emotions blur judgment, I never thought I would have such a moment. When I heard Mistress Xiao Man’s voice earlier, I angrily dashed in, but after calming down and listening again, the voice seemed to carry a very subtle aura of illusion magic..."
"Enough! Whether that voice is real or not, going in to see will make it clear!"
After calming down, the anger in Ning Fan’s eyes subsided a bit, but his determination to explore this flesh world had not diminished at all.
Closer, closer, just a bit further ahead seemed to be the end of this flesh world...
But just then, a black mountain shadow suddenly appeared out of thin air, descending from the heavens to smash down on Ning Fan!
This black mountain’s oppressive power was equivalent to a Half-Saint’s full strike, shaking the entire flesh world intensely under its vast momentum.
"Haha! Where did this Immortal King brat come from, actually fooled into coming here! Since you’re here, don’t leave, become Mother’s food! This general will finish you off in seconds, then go kill the All-Knowing Old Bastard!" The black mountain shadow laughed heartily, not taking Ning Fan seriously at all.
Whoosh!
The response to the black mountain shadow was the sword light that Ning Fan blasted skyward, a dazzling burst that was like the sun, a full-powered strike from the Liangyi Guarding Sword’s Yang Sword! Just a casual strike, yet the power equaled seven to eight thousand consecutive strikes of the Ancient Demon Mountain-Shattering Strike!
As the sword light emerged, the black mountain shadow’s laughter was abruptly cut off, unable to continue!
It was almost scared to death!
It never imagined that a mere little Immortal King like Ning Fan could slash such a terrifying sword!
Damn it! Damn it!
What level of mana is this! This kid isn’t some Immortal King, his mana absolutely surpasses 17,000 Calamities! This is clearly a Quasi-Saint, and still a First Order Quasi-Saint powerhouse!
Unfair, too unfair! This little Immortal King actually has an Innate Superior Treasure! How to fight, how can it fight! When a First Order Quasi-Saint with 17,000 Calamities of mana is holding such a rare Innate Superior Treasure in the Era of Decline, even a Second-Grade Quasi-Saint can be fought!
Even though this is Mother’s territory, and even though it holds supreme advantage here, it’s impossible to overcome such an existence with Half-Saint cultivation!
It wanted to flee, but it was already too late!
With a wretched scream, Ning Fan slashed the descending black mountain shadow into dust with one sword. Indeed, into dust, at the moment of being cut, the enemy was incinerated by the Liangyi Guarding Sword’s Yang Sword into ashes...
"So the nest hides a Half-Saint of the Light Ant Clan... Half-Saint, so what!"
Ning Fan wore a merciless expression, continuing forward.
"What! Black Ant was actually killed in one strike by this boy! Impossible! Although Black Ant is despicable, his strength amongst us was definitely formidable!"
"Damn it! Underestimated this boy! He is not some Immortal King! He’s holding an Innate Superior Treasure sword, the danger he gives me feels almost no less than the High Priestess!"
"What! The Yin Mu High Priestess is a Second Grade Quasi-Saint! This boy can actually match the Yin Mu High Priestess?!"
"Hmph! This is our territory, whether he is First Order Quasi-Saint or comparable to Second Grade Quasi-Saint, he won’t be allowed to run amok! None of us individually are his match, but if we fuse, could we still fear him!"
Fusion!
Several experts from the Light Ant Clan unleashed their aura at this moment, and surprisingly, all of them were of the Immortal Emperor or Semi-Saint level!
Once this group fused, their cultivations combined together, and the aura emitted from them suddenly surged to the level of a First Order Quasi-Saint!
"Hmm? At the end of this space, there’s an aura of a Quasi-Saint emanating..."
Ning Fan frowned.
In the next instant, a gleam of light flashed through the heavens and earth, transforming into a silver-armored warrior, standing in the air within this flesh world.
This silver-armored warrior was not a single entity, but the result of several strong members of the Light Ant Clan fused together!
This was a First Order Quasi-Saint with Mana reaching eleven thousand Calamities; in terms of Mana, he was much weaker than Ning Fan. Yet, for some reason, this silver-armored warrior seemed capable of controlling the entire flesh world, providing Ning Fan with a significant sense of crisis.
"You killed the Black Ant, which means you stand against our Yin Mu High Priestess, dying is not unjustified!"
The silver-armored warrior shouted angrily, and the earth of this flesh world suddenly cracked with countless fissures, with hundreds of giant arms reaching out towards Ning Fan. Those giant arms were composed of light, seemingly delicate, but each strike bore the weight of dozens of stars, terrifyingly powerful.
If it were Ning Fan in his normal state, facing such a terrifying siege by giant hands, he would likely struggle bitterly.
But now, things were different; he had a powerful blade in his hand!
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!
The blade light of the Yang Sword flashed, and all the giant light hands were turned to ashes by Ning Fan!
"Indeed, the combat power this child is displaying right now is truly close to that of Lady Yin Mu. In that case... summon, the Mother of Light Mirror!"
The silver-armored warrior pinched his fingers together in a spirit sense, and all the light within the flesh world instantly gathered into an ancient light mirror, absorbing Ning Fan into it.
Ning Fan immediately felt dizzy and disoriented. Once he regained his senses, he had already been sealed within the mirror by the silver-armored warrior’s Divine Skill.
"The Mother Mirror World is without beginning or end; those trapped in it find escape as difficult as ascending to the heavens. You brat should die contently under this art. Next, I’ll deal with that All-Knowing Madman... what!"
The silver-armored warrior was proudly sneering when suddenly his smile froze.
In the next instant, the light mirror used to seal Ning Fan, along with the infinite world within the mirror, was all shattered by Ning Fan!
Ning Fan broke out of the mirror!
If he were in ordinary condition, he definitely couldn’t escape this easily, but fortunately... he currently held the Liangyi Yang Sword!
"Where is Mistress Xiao Man!" Ning Fan shook the Yang Sword, scattering fragments of the light mirror to the ground, and said coldly.
"What Mistress Xiao Man? I don’t know! You dare to shatter my mirror, it is unforgivable!"
"Indeed, Mistress Xiao Man isn’t here, it seems I’ve truly been deceived by you... do you know what price you have to pay for luring me here..."
"The price! Hmph! The price to be paid is only your life and the life of the All-Knowing Madman! You will both become nourishment for the Mother Queen! It seems ordinary means can’t deal with you, then... fusion!"
The silver-armored warrior’s body shattered, transforming into light, the light flew into the heavens and earth, merging with the entire flesh world.
"So it’s like this, the initial purpose of deceiving me was just to prey on me... No wonder you’re so full of confidence, turns out these strong members of the Light Ant Clan can also merge with this flesh world. After fusion, this flesh world seemingly becomes a living entity, bringing me a sense of crisis no weaker than that of a Second Rank Quasi-Saint like Daoist Mu Song!"
"Too bad, the fusion by your Light Ant Clan cannot last long, it has a time limit! Let’s see if this blood-colored space is more powerful, or if my collaboration with this Yang Sword is stronger!"
Boom, boom, boom!
Ning Fan began battling with this flesh world!
To trap Ning Fan, this flesh world sealed the path, not intending to let Ning Fan escape. This means that the All-Knowing Elder, who arrived shortly after Ning Fan, lost the road to enter this flesh world.
Standing outside the completely blocked flesh world, the All-Knowing Elder stomped his feet in anger!
He cannot enter!
He was only half a step behind, yet he couldn’t enter! The Ant Lord’s flesh is tough outside yet soft inside, wanting to break in from the outside is as difficult as ascending to the heavens!
Not good, not good at all! Destroying the Ant Lord’s nest was clearly his task, yet this time an outsider snatched it first!
If Ning Fan is unfortunately killed by this flesh world, he would regret it for a lifetime—Ning Fan is the most extraordinary research material he has encountered in his lifetime! All research hasn’t even begun, will it end prematurely now!
He battled the Ant Lord for ten reincarnations, no one knows the Ant Lord’s terror better than him. Even though this place is only the Ant Lord’s newly built nest, it’s enough to kill many Quasi-Saints.
"Ant Lord! You old hag! If you dare to kill my research material, don’t blame me for breaking the agreement and slaughtering all your descendants!"
"Evil brother, chop for me, chop hard! Let’s chop this flesh barrier into pieces, hack a way through!"
"Damn it, damn it! I am just a Nascent Soul cultivator, even if I’ve modified myself, I can’t exert much power from this sword, absolutely cannot chop through these flesh barriers... if Brother Donkey were here it would be fine, but Brother Donkey has been smashed to pieces, he won’t recover for at least ten days or half a month..."
"Damn it, damn it! Brat, why are you running so fast, why not slow down for me to assist you in killing the Ant Lord, wouldn’t surviving be better! Now this is great, I can’t help you anymore, you’re on your own..."
The All-Knowing Elder held the Liangyi Yin Sword, slashing slightly but unable to cut open the path into the flesh world, helplessly giving up.
Crack, crack, crack!
After some time, the flesh world ahead suddenly was filled with cracks, starting to crumble!
The All-Knowing Elder was stunned, his face was full of disbelief.
Ning Fan actually managed to suppress an Ant Lord’s Nest all by himself!
Boom——
The Flesh World completely collapsed!
The destructive power of the collapse was terrifying, enough to tear even a Second-Grade Quasi-Saint to shreds! One could say that defeating those Light Ant Clan Immortal Emperors and Half-Saints wasn’t dangerous; the true peril lay in the instant after successfully suppressing the nest, being consumed by the collapse of the Flesh World!
"Not good! Even if that kid managed to suppress this Ant Lord’s Nest by sheer luck, I’m afraid he can’t escape such a degree of collapse... He’s dead; he must be dead... My research materials are gone..."
The All-Knowing Elder showed a deeply distressed expression, forgetting that he was outside the Flesh World. When the Flesh World collapsed, he was also swept into the terrifying collapse.
It’s a terrifying collapse that can tear apart a Second-Grade Quasi-Saint!
Shouldn’t he flee!
He really doesn’t need to flee!
He stood in the center of the underground storm, unscathed, not a single leaf harmed. All attacks would simply pass through him if he so wished... That scene was as if nothing in the world could touch him, weird to the extreme...
"My research materials are gone..."
"The most precious research materials of my lifetime are gone..."
After an unknown amount of time, the underground collapse subsided, and the nest pit that once existed there was filled with collapsing sand.
The All-Knowing Elder sighed all the way, crawling out of the desert underground with a look of utter hopelessness.
But when he discovered that Ning Fan was standing in the desert waiting for him, he immediately swept away his grief, laughing excitedly and looking up to the sky.
"Hahaha! You kid really aren’t that easy to kill! Truly surprising to the old man! That was the Ant Lord’s self-explosion of flesh and blood, and you actually managed to escape from that! Truly a monster!"
A monster...
Ning Fan smiled wryly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the All-Knowing Elder’s comment.
He didn’t consider himself worthy of the word "monster." He only risked using the Six Paths Portal to escape the explosion range instantly before the Flesh World collapsed, which is why he didn’t die. If he had truly been swept into such a collapse, given his current physical endurance, he wouldn’t have lasted more than a few breaths before perishing...
Under the geomagnetic interference here, the transmission failure rate of the Six Paths Portal was quite high, but fortunately, this time there was no problem with the transmission. If such a situation were to happen again, Ning Fan wouldn’t dare to guarantee he’d have the same luck in escaping such a collapse.
Moreover, he may have destroyed the Flesh World, but he didn’t kill the Silver Armored Quasi-Saint formed by the fusion of strong Light Ants, and that person managed to escape... Killing a Quasi-Saint is truly not easy, even if the opponent was an inferior Quasi-Saint formed by trickery.
If anyone were to be called a monster... it should be the All-Knowing Elder!
In an explosion of that magnitude, the All-Knowing Elder actually withstood the blast leisurely and returned to the surface, ultimately unharmed.
Having witnessed this scene, Ning Fan strongly suspected that even if the All-Knowing Elder stood still, taking hits, he might not be able to harm him in the slightest...
"Sorry, the sword of the senior was broken by me..."
Seeing the All-Knowing Elder crawling out of the ground, Ning Fan looked slightly embarrassed as he returned the broken Liangyi Yang Sword to the All-Knowing Elder.
Logically speaking, an Innate Superior Treasure shouldn’t be so easily damaged, but for some reason, this Liangyi Yang Sword was unexpectedly fragile. Its power was undeniable; the fact that it could cause the collapse of the Flesh Space was evidence of its strength. Among Innate Superior Treasures, it might not be a Mortal Grade; but this sword ended up being broken by the Flesh Space, too fragile. Had he known this sword was so easy to break, Ning Fan would have held back a bit and not pushed its power to the extreme...
"What! You actually played my dear brother until it broke! You you you, you’re simply a beast! The old man really misjudged you!" The All-Knowing Elder grabbed the broken sword, heartbroken, and chastised Ning Fan in a tone as if Ning Fan had done something unspeakable to the sword.
Ning Fan’s lip twitched, but he didn’t refute it.
He’d always been such a person, distinguishing between friend and foe. Earlier the elder wanted to catch him for research without a word, which made him an enemy; but later the elder claimed he would protect him, even lending him a sword... Calling him an enemy now would be somewhat inappropriate.
Damaging someone else’s Innate Superior Treasure is no trivial matter. Considering the value of this treasure, in the Era of Decline, if someone’s significant treasure were destroyed by Ning Fan, it would be comparable to a deadly feud or having a spouse stolen.
The elder, having had such a precious magical treasure broken by Ning Fan, merely complained a bit without further reproach, which earned Ning Fan’s deep respect.
Swapping roles, if Ning Fan’s Reverse Sea Sword or God-Extinguishing Shield were destroyed by someone, he would undoubtedly seek revenge like a madman...
"This sword... I will find a way to compensate the senior for it, provided the senior doesn’t bother me again. I don’t know who the senior is, nor what the senior wants to research about me, but I am a person, not something that can be easily offered up for research..." Ning Fan sighed, his sigh conveyed that all grudges were resolved, and he no longer resented the All-Knowing Elder’s previous pursuit.
"You broke my Superior Innate Sword, yet you are unwilling to pay the price by allowing me to research you. This old man has roamed the world for a lifetime and has never seen someone as shameless as you!" The All-Knowing Elder looked at Ning Fan incredulously, as if looking at a beast.
"...I said, I will find other means to compensate the senior for the sword..."
"No way! Other compensations don’t interest me! I only want you!" The All-Knowing Elder gazed at Ning Fan obsessively. If not for knowing there was no inappropriate sentiment in the old man’s eyes, Ning Fan would have turned and left.
"Sorry, junior has other matters to attend to, no time to waste here with the senior..." Ning Fan didn’t intend to argue with this person any further. He resolved that in the future, he would find an Innate Superior Treasure to compensate him.
"Looking for someone? Who are you looking for! You can’t use your spirit sense here, right? Trying to find someone in this vast desert is sheer fantasy! Have you heard of a mirage? Hehe, this desert isn’t just any desert, and the mirages here aren’t just any mirages, they’re remnants of the Ant Lord’s illusion techniques! Previously, you rushed into the Ant Lord’s Nest because you were under an illusion, right? You have experienced the power of those illusion techniques; when trapped, you were utterly unnoticeable."
"...If I were cautious beforehand, I shouldn’t have been misled by this desert’s mirages."
"Hahaha! That’s the most ridiculous thing in the world! Not being fooled by this desert’s mirages! If the old man tells you, from the beginning there was no desert, how would you respond? When you saw the desert, you were already under the Ant Lord’s illusion. No matter how cautious you are with mirages, it’s meaningless!"
"What! This desert itself is an illusion?!" Ning Fan was shocked.
He was genuinely surprised!
Because even at this moment, he couldn’t detect a trace of illusion from this desert! It’s worth noting that his expertise in illusions wasn’t low, and in the Era of Decline, few could match him. If even he couldn’t see the slightest illusion aura in this desert, it’s indeed a bit frightening...
"You don’t believe this desert is itself an illusion? Haha, close your eyes, and perceive this desert without using vision!" the All-Knowing Elder advised.
Ning Fan closed his eyes as instructed.
At first, when he closed his eyes, Ning Fan couldn’t detect anything unusual.
But as time gradually passed, the impression of this desert in Ning Fan’s mind grew more and more blurred, and he finally sensed a trace of illusory art in this desert!
It turned out to be an illusion based on vision!
Having found the breakthrough point of the illusion, Ning Fan, with his proficiency, quickly broke the illusion!
With his eyes closed, he gradually began to not hear the sound of wind and sand in his ears; gradually, the sandy ground beneath his feet seemed to vanish from his senses.
After blocking his vision, Ning Fan discovered that there really wasn’t any desert here!
However, when he opened his eyes again, even though he was prepared for the desert illusion here, he still fell into the illusion, seeing an endless desert in front of him.
"This actually is an illusion that cannot be defended against as long as one uses vision!" Ning Fan was shocked. It was the first time he had seen such a level of illusion!
He understood the use of light as a medium to perform illusions!
But the fact that the existence of light itself was an illusion was something he encountered for the first time!
In the sixth level here, every ray of light is the illusory art of the Ant Lord!
Unless one travels here with eyes closed, one cannot rid themselves of the illusion. Yet, this place severely limits perception; should one seal off their vision as well, traversing here would become even more challenging...
"Wait a minute! If the entire desert is an illusion, it implies that from the moment I stepped into this place, I fell into an illusion! Then everything I have experienced after falling into this illusion, is it true or false? Did I really meet this mad elder, and did I truly experience the battle at the Ant Lord’s nest... during this time, what I have done, which is real and which is not real... Is my current realization of the desert being an illusion also a part of the illusion, and I have still not escaped it..."
The more Ning Fan thought, the more shocked he became. The terror of illusions lies in making you unable to distinguish between fantasy and reality.
"Does true and false matter...Did you know, from the moment you were born into this world, from the moment the first ray of light entered your eyes, you were ensnared in the worldly illusion. Since birth, you have engaged with and understood the world through vision. The mountains, rivers, cars, and beauties in your memory are all brought to you by the light. But what if the light deceived you from the very beginning? Is what you see really how it appears? If you must doubt, don’t just doubt this desert, but best doubt your entire life experiences. You’ll find many inaccuracies in your memories and face distrust; you won’t even be able to determine whether you’re alive or dead; everything you know is just what others wanted you to know; you know nothing about this world..."
The All-Knowing Elder spoke more preposterously, yet Ning Fan calmed down instead, letting out a long breath.
"Thank you for your guidance, Senior."
"Guidance? Haha, I can’t call this guidance, merely parroting someone else’s philosophy. I was once confused too but was enlightened by someone, allowing me to open my eyes and re-evaluate the world. The one who guided me knew long ago that there is no reality or illusion in this world. No existence, nor non-existence. No past, nor future... The truth of the world isn’t true or false, isn’t cause and effect, good or evil, nor is it singular... It’s about what you choose to believe in! This is a world where believing makes it exist!"
An open-eyed Master! It turns out this All-Knowing Elder is actually an open-eyed Master!
"Alright, let’s set that aside! I haven’t introduced myself yet; this old man is the infamous All-Knowing Elder in the Light Ancestor Abyss, unrivaled in heaven and earth, knowing everything of past, present, and future! May I know your esteemed name, young friend?"
"Ning Fan."
"So, it’s Brother Ning, my apologies. I heard Brother Ning is looking for someone?" The scattered All-Knowing Elder, in one sentence, called Ning Fan a young friend, and in the next, called him brother. Or perhaps, being called Brother by the All-Knowing Elder is not a form of respect, because in his eyes, a donkey could just as well be a brother, and a brother a donkey...
"Yes."
Ning Fan didn’t mind these details; what he could confirm at the moment was this All-Knowing Elder’s immense power and the absence of malice, only a heart of research towards him.
"Who is Brother Ning seeking? If you’re not afraid of owing me cause and effect, I’m quite willing to help Brother Ning find this person."
"I owe, then I owe. I’ve already damaged one piece of your Innate Superior Treasure, it doesn’t matter if there’s a bit more cause and effect involved. This place is too dangerous; with Senior’s assistance, finding Mistress Xiao Man earlier would be good." Ning Fan replied helplessly.
"Ah! Xiao Man! You’re referring to Mistress Xiao Man, the little demon!" Upon hearing that the woman Ning Fan seeks is named Xiao Man, the All-Knowing Elder was first startled, then delighted!
"Does Senior know Xiao Man?" Ning Fan was surprised.
"Hahaha! Heaven has eyes, this indeed must be heaven’s will! Finally, someone is here to settle that little demon! Young friend, you’re sure you can take that little demon away, right? You’re sure she’ll listen to you and leave with you, right? Will you compensate all the damages she inflicted on this old man! Will you firmly give her a beating to vent this old man’s anger!" The All-Knowing Elder exclaimed excitedly.
"..." Ning Fan was slightly speechless.
Why does it feel like there is a lot of information in the All-Knowing Elder’s words, as if he suffered a lot from Bei Xiao Man?
Could someone so exalted be taken advantage of by a little girl? This sounds absurd...
"The Xiao Man Senior knows may not be the same Xiao Man I am referring to..." Ning Fan speculated.
"Really? The Xiao Man you know, does she wear a red long dress and have red hair?" The All-Knowing Elder frowned and asked.
"Yes."
"Is she cultivating the Gui Star Bloodline!"
"Yes."
"Is she surrounded by a large group of Stone Warriors for protection!"
"A large group of Stone Warriors? Perhaps...yes..."
"Is she lazy, idle, not doing a proper job, and once catching someone’s weakness, mercilessly bullying them, even if they are a flickering old man?"
"...Could that girl be that bad..." Ning Fan responded speechlessly.
"Yes!!!" The All-Knowing Elder was so upset, his face turned red, resembling an enraged chrysanthemum.
"Say no more! Come along with this old man and take that little demon out of my research lab, immediately, this instant!"