Endless Incarnations, No Pretense

Feng Xi felt a bit awkward.

Being caught pretending to be unconscious left him feeling helpless.

He dropped the act and chuckled sheepishly, scrambling to his feet.

He was afraid that if he kept pretending, he'd actually be dragged away and used as bait to fish for time itself!

Opening his eyes, he cautiously surveyed his surroundings.

The first thing that caught his eye was the wealth Feng Xi had been dreaming of.

They were all neatly arranged to the side, with storage bags filled with the fortunes of hundreds of thousands of Witch Clan Golden Immortals, piled up casually.

It was clear that whoever had dealt with Feng Xi, the one who had given him a stern warning, didn't care about this wealth.

After all, they were... a powerful figure capable of fishing for time. Their words suggested they barely cared about the ancestors of the Dragon Clan, hinting at them being a king of the Human Race, or at least a Grand Unity.

How could such a powerful being covet Feng Xi's meager possessions?

What they truly valued and focused their discussion on was Kong Xuan, which also brought up the current issues within the Phoenix Lineage and the Feathered Clan.

--A single Peacock Feather was placed on a stone platform, and a palm-sized Phoenix hopped around on it, stepping on it repeatedly.

Feng Xi glanced over. The little Phoenix was exquisite, its wings spread, its colors swirling in a dazzling display.

Even though its tiny eyes showed anger, it only looked adorable given its size.

It's so cute, it must taste delicious roasted,

It's just a bit small... not even enough meat for two bites...

He had a fleeting, wicked thought before quickly suppressing it. The Phoenix's gaze suddenly turned dangerous, its eyes narrowing as it looked at him.

Facing this, Feng Xi chose to be sensible and abandoned any further reckless ideas.

Instead, he turned his gaze to another spot. Beside a river that seemed to flow from the void, a divine being with a vast and majestic aura sat quietly, back turned to him, holding a fishing rod with its line immersed in the long river.

Feng Xi was no stranger to that fishing rod. It was the very tool that had struck him earlier!

I was knocked out by a fishing rod... and that dog... His gaze swept to the side. A strange beast, black and white, was wagging its tail ecstatically, lying on the ground with its paws cradling a peculiar fruit, licking it from time to time, a look of satisfaction on its canine face.

Perhaps sensing Feng Xi's gaze, the dog flashed him a smile that seemed both majestic and wise, and then... it pulled the fruit closer to itself.

I was tricked by this kind of creature? Feng Xi struggled to control the twitching of his cheek muscles. Others fish, and I eagerly jump in, only to be casually knocked down... what is this?

A willing victim?

He had a thousand words in his heart, but in the end, nothing came out when he opened his mouth.

Only a single "Son of a b*tch" managed to condense and refine everything, lodging in his throat, neither up nor down.

"What? Not going to faint anymore?" the divine being fishing chuckled, turning around leisurely. "What a shame... if you'd waited a little longer, you could have experienced what it's like to be scoured by the river of time."

"That's a treatment only a peak Grand Unity can enjoy... to experience the scouring of time, to condense your true self and uniqueness in the endless expanse of space and time, preparing for the ultimate leap to become a Grand Unity and traverse the river of time."

"What a rare opportunity!"

The divine being sighed. "With this experience, as long as you can ensure your consciousness isn't washed away or overwritten by the endless information in the river of time, you'll grasp a bit of the profound mystery of eternal time. Your chances of reaching peak Grand Unity in the future will increase by thirty percent."

Hearing this, Feng Xi gave an awkward laugh. "Thank you for your kindness, senior... but I've only just become a Golden Immortal. The distant realm of peak Grand Unity is too ambitious for me... Wait?!"

"You... you're Great Sage Fuxi?!"

He widened his eyes with all his might.

Under the solemn aura surrounding the divine being, Feng Xi grasped the truth and saw the divine being's true face.

At the same time, he finally understood why the voice had sounded familiar earlier.

He had thought it was a hallucination brought on by talking to thousands of merchants with various accents while doing business these past few days.

But it wasn't.

The source of the voice was none other than Great Sage Fuxi, who had left a deep impression on him and had engaged in a battle of wits with Ancestral Witch Dijiang!

But why?

Why would Fuxi, who should be scheming against Ancestral Witch Dijiang, be fishing here?

Could it be that "slacking off" had already infiltrated the highest echelons of the Demon Clan?

"Little fellow, you're easily surprised," Fuxi chuckled. "Grand Unity, eternally free in the endless expanse of space and time, can manifest into trillions of forms, present everywhere, existing everywhere—we are the Dao!"

The Dao is omnipresent!

"What's wrong with having a few avatars, or 'alt accounts'?"

"What? You don't believe me?"

"If you don't believe me, then I'll greet you with a few more accounts."

Great Sage Fuxi's smile was warm, but in the next moment, he abruptly staged a horror film.

The nearby mountains came alive.

The mountains had spirits, their bodies vibrating, emitting sounds.

"Hello, I am Fuxi."

The vast river surged and flowed.

Countless water droplets flew up, reflecting the brilliant sunlight and casting the shadow of a rainbow.

The river had a spirit; the rainbow refracted by the water droplets formed words, greeting him.

"Hello, I am Fuxi."

Above the azure sky, clouds drifted. At this moment, everything suddenly changed.

Whether by coincidence or not.

A gust of wind blew, and the clouds shifted, naturally forming a sentence in the sky.

"Hello, I am Fuxi."

Feng Xi's expression was blank. What could he say now?

He was speechless.

"Eternal freedom, infinite avatars," Fuxi sighed softly. "I'm even confused about how many of me there are... perhaps, infinitely many."

"The me who negotiated with Dijiang, that's me."

"The me sitting here fishing, that's also me."

"Even you... you are actually me too."

Fuxi said with a smile.

"You're lying, right?" Feng Xi's pupils widened. "How could I possibly be someone else's avatar?"

"Oh, no, I misspoke..." He suddenly became excited, a little thrilled. "Is it true?"

Feng Xi's expression immediately changed. He looked like he was about to pounce and hug a leg. "The main body! The original me!"

"Look, I, your avatar, am living such a miserable life now... I've almost lost all my integrity just to earn a little money."

"Could you be merciful and help me?"

"I don't ask for much. Just share your cultivation realm and Dao, and maybe give me ten or eight Innate Spiritual Treasures..."

I'm a weakling, please carry me!

In just a few words, Feng Xi vividly conveyed this sentiment.

He was excited, but Fuxi fell silent.

This noble and great divine being looked Feng Xi up and down with a strange gaze, smacked his lips, "You are truly the most shameless, no, the most unpretentious guy I've ever met..."

"Do you no longer care about independent consciousness and free values? Are you waiting to be overwritten by me?"

"Only the strong who can break the rules are worthy of talking about independence and freedom..." Feng Xi grumbled, "I, a small witch constrained by survival and development issues, have to consider the allocation of cultivation resources and my survival in the future great tribulation every day..."

"On the surface, I am free... but under the countless invisible rules and countless shackles of this world..."

"To put it bluntly, I'm just a puppet, or a leek to be harvested time and time again... What's the point of talking about independent consciousness and free values... Why flatter yourself?"

"I act cheerful and pretend to be fine in front of others. But in reality, I bear countless pressures and hardships in private, and I'm lost and worried about the future... Why bother?"

Feng Xi spoke righteously, "My goal isn't that grand... As long as I can live a peaceful life, without worrying about my safety, and do whatever I want without anyone restricting me... that's enough!"

"If I were to define a time frame for this life, I would wish for it to be - eternal!"

Fuxi's mouth twitched, then twitched again. He had never met such an eccentric fellow and felt powerless and defeated.

He rubbed his temples and laid his cards on the table, "Helping you is impossible, and carrying you is also impossible... You should give up on that idea."

"No!" Feng Xi wailed, "Aren't we the same person? You can't be so heartless!"

"No, no, no, I misspoke just now... You are actually not my avatar." Fuxi shook his head repeatedly. "I sympathize with your situation, but I am powerless to help."

"How can this be?" Feng Xi was deeply disheartened. "Even great figures like you like to joke around now, right?"

"He wasn't joking, he just didn't say the whole truth," the little phoenix interjected at this moment, becoming a guiding light in Feng Xi's darkened heart.

Feng Xi turned his head, listening to her explanation.

"You are his avatar, and you are not his avatar..." The little phoenix flapped its wings, acting like a teacher. "In fact, you are also an avatar of all Grand Unity beings."

"Holy crap? Am I that awesome?" Feng Xi was dumbfounded.

"Not at all," the phoenix said slowly. "Because all beings below Grand Unity are common avatars of all Grand Unity beings."

"Otherwise, how can the nobility and supreme status of Grand Unity be demonstrated?!"

"The Primordial Era is a game. Those who haven't reached Grand Unity are all characters in the game, just data... while Grand Unity beings are the players, the administrators, the ones with permissions."

"We can tamper with data and embody specific roles... that's the reality of it all."

"Grand Unity is the Dao," the phoenix said, its voice grand despite its small size. "The Dao evolves heaven and earth... Beings in heaven and earth follow the laws of the Dao to achieve their existence."

"Every Grand Unity being has participated in the great project of constructing the Primordial Era, providing data for this world... It's just that because of their different strengths, their contributions also differ."