Kao Dao Ji frowned down deeply.
A fusion between souls?
That was just a prettier way to say death.
And a death far more frightening than anything else in the world, ego's death.
"How? How did you even figure out so many things about Fate, anyway? I had your memories too; I know everything you ever did. The only things you could have gained were while you were in this Dream Realm, but I do not know how this could have helped you…"
The other Kao Dao Ji crossed his arms and snorted coldly.
"You always had the right pieces to figure out the puzzle; you just never bothered to try.
Why should you?
You were an otherworldly demon already, so why go through all that effort?
To learn why you were so privileged?
Then he chuckled again.
"And the same applies to everything else you've done. You never cared about those hurt by your actions. You risked my whole Clan's existence to gain the trust of somebody else.
And then, despite having ample time, you never considered that others may be affected by your choices.
Whilst my Clan's destruction may have been set in motion long ago, you were the one who brought things to such a point this quickly."
He curled up his lips into a smile.
"The truth is that while you never killed, you did not, simply because you did not wish to think of yourself as a monster.
However. As long as you did not directly pull the trigger, you were also able to ignore the suffering your actions would inevitably bring.
Your plans of conquering the world beneath the skies, plundering their wealth, as well as your decision to bring Le Tu, or your decision to popularise firearms among our people.
Tell me, can you honestly say with a straight face that you did not know such actions would eventually lead to a large number of deaths?
You knew, but never cared. As long as you were not the one who personally slaughtered them, you did not feel bad about yourself."
Then he tilted his head.
"Also, do you think I am a fool who does not know you are stalling? Give me the method, or I will kill you.
Which reminds me.
Do you not wonder what will happen if you die here?
Supposedly, in a Dream Realm, once this occurs, the soul will be damaged, and the person will be kicked out of the Dream.
If I were to do that, your soul will be damaged, and I will be able to take over, or who knows, maybe due to the weird nature of this dream you may automatically die."
He snorted coldly.
"Do you understand now? You have no leverage over me, but I have plenty." As he said this, he pressed the dagger firmly into Kao Dao Ji, who sighed deeply.
He could have tried to lie or bluff his way through on usual times, but there was one tiny issue.
The attainment between both sides was acting in synchronicity.
Almost everything he knew was understood just as well by the other side; a simple trick or lie would very obviously fail.
And he lacked the time to properly devise a fake killer move.
In the end.
He sighed.
He asked for a pen and paper and began to write everything he knew, and as he wrote, he sighed deeply.
Whilst still writing, he said.
"To be honest, I do not think this method can work at all…" Kao Dao Ji muttered.
"No matter how you look at it, it's simply impossible."
"The method requires too many things; it requires organ compatibility, identical blood type, similar genetic code.
And even despite that, the method is still an objective failure.
The final recipe leads to a flawed mutated aperture.
Which lacks the cohesion and unity of Human Qi to properly develop an Immortal Aperture."
The other Kao Dao Ji snorted coldly.
"And yet those two succeeded."
Kao Dao Ji stared down at him before squinting his eyes.
"Please, you know as well as I do how many conditions had to be met for this method to truly succeed.
How do you intend to replicate them?"
The other Kao Dao Ji merely smiled plainly.
He did not reply.
Kao Dao Ji frowned.
"And those are the conditions we are aware of. I am not sure if you saw the same thing as I did, but do you truly think Crimson Soul succeeded at just one attempt?
One can only wonder how many times he performed this experiment until he eventually succeeded." He added.
As for why he was so sure of this?
Well.
There were too many odd things surrounding the twin siblings, things which could not be explained as mere coincidences.
For starters, the methods of the Hui Gui Clan were too bizarre: the method to guarantee twins at birth, the method to transfer the aptitude of a twin towards the other, and the method to change the gender of both twins.
Gaining one of those three methods was already impressive enough, but three?
The only logical explanation was that Giant Sun gave them those methods in the eighty-eight True Yang Building, yet who was exactly that man's main inheritor?
Crimson Soul bloodlust and ambitions regarding Hui Gui Yu were too obvious.
There was also the culture surrounding the Hui Gui Clan, which, while it could have developed naturally, was also far too prone to eventually develop anomalies which would rebel against the system, beings with so much hatred they would do anything to satiate it.
And on top of that, if that were not proof enough.
There was a damned red star that from time to time followed him; he even saw the silhouette of King Crimson in the skies!
But the other Kao Dao Ji remained indifferent; he took the paper and began to read it.
And as Kao Dao Ji said, the current method was simply inapplicable to them.
His expression seemed tainted by disappointment.
And yet.
It quickly settled; a solemn expression appeared on his face.
"This is truly the end of the line for me…Heh…" He chuckled to himself before shaking his head.
His expression rapidly settled towards Kao Dao Ji as he sighed.
"It seems it all has come to this…"
He smiled bitterly as he added.
"Now that things have reached such a stage, I am willing to give you one chance to live."
Kao Dao Ji tilted his head in bewilderment.
What was that lunatic saying?
"I wanted to force a union before I took this chance, but if I delay it too long. This opportunity may disappear. I am not sure if things will turn out like I hope to, or if my people can still be saved, and I do not want to put this matter in your hands, but…"
He sighed deeply.
His expression looked utterly helpless.
"Kao Dao Ji, do you still have in your hands the method to counter Spring Autumn Cicada?"
"Huh…" He blinked repeatedly.
He paused for several seconds.
Before realising what he meant.
He chuckled.
"I see. Your previous words were a bluff, weren't they? You truly believe Spring Autumn Cicada can still be used."
The other Kao Dao Ji frowned deeply.
"Indeed…I do not know if I can cling to that prophecy, but maybe, just maybe, if Spring Autumn Cicada were to be used. I could be reborn before they died.
But I am ultimately helpless to stop this.
Even if I gained the method you have, I am no otherworldly demon; my ability to influence Fate is far too limited.
Yet I also did not wish to entrust the task to you to save my people. Like I said, while outwardly you may act kind, or even think of yourself as kind.
You are anything but it.
But now that things have reached such a stage, what other choice do I have but to entrust their Fate upon you?"
The other Kao Dao Ji grabbed the knife tightly in his arm and added.
"Like I said before, while breaking from a dream is not easy, the most consistent way shown is by dying inside the dream.
We are two souls which are linked together somehow, and who also share the same body.
It would not be impossible that if one of us were to kick the bucket here, the two of us would be kicked out of the Dream Realm.
With the knife I hold in my hand, once I stab myself, the dream will come to an end, and you will be freed…
You must try to lie low, conceal your presence and wait.
Wait until the chance appears, and when the Spring Autumn Cicada seems to be about to be activated.
Seize it!
There can be no room for error; you cannot afford to hesitate." He spoke solemnly.
Then he added.
"Do you still remember the steps and Gu's involved for the activation?"
Kao Dao Ji nodded.
"That is not enough! I need more proof that you truly remember everything." The other Kao Dao Ji spoke coldly.
"Repeat step by step how the Killer Move works."
Kao Dao Ji began to speak.
"The range of the Killer Move is fairly limited, of a very short range. Yet it works by seizing the opportunity and using the power of one's soul; one can shoot it like a projectile towards the target.
Using the Soul Essence and converting it rapidly into Will.
Before forcefully entering into the Spring Autumn Cicada, by using a superior amount of Will, one will try to kick out the original Will inside the Gu.
Then and only then will the Spring Autumn Cicada be seized."
"What were the Gu's involved?"
"The Gu's involved in the process are…"
Kao Dao Ji spoke detachedly; he spoke in full detail all the information he received.
The other Kao Dao Ji smiled, satisfied as he heard this.
In the end.
He asked.
"Is that all?"
Kao Dao Ji nodded down.
At the next moment.
The other Kao Dao Ji raised his knife and stabbed his stomach.
Kao Dao Ji collapsed onto the floor.
"Frankly, I never expected this to actually work. I merely spoke those words to try my luck.
Who would ever say that you'd actually be naïve enough to actually reveal the method or so I would say...."
The other Kao Dao Ji squinted his eyes.
"But you…You already knew, right?"
Kao Dao Ji coughed blood; his body was trembling as he replied.
"Of course…Do you think I am stupid? You spoke in the way that sounded the most threatening at every second. You did not even bother to be consistent with your lies.
And then out of nowhere you asked me to explain the method to counter the Cicada with an awful amount of detail.
Besides. Based on your previous words, I knew you'd never trust me enough to let me seize the Cicada.
And while your ability to influence things may be diminished, your motivation would also have been far greater.
I had no real reason to risk everything to save them, but you did.
Besides.
Even if you failed at gaining the method to counter Cicada, you could still take over my body through the method you told me about before.
So I may as well give us both a chance to live.
Moreover, you proved yourself rather careful, with that backup plan you made if I am not mistaken; the marriage method you asked me about before was never meant for the current you, right?"
The other Kao Dao Ji's lips trembled before they curled up into a smile.
"I never thought you'd figure out this much indeed. I have quite the dilemma…"
"What would happen if I am in body A, then I use Spring Autumn Cicada to seize body B?
Will two of me exist once I go back to the past? Or will the previous me be erased?
Whatever the result may be.
I already resigned that to achieve my goals, the current me will have to die."
He smirked as he added.
"Once I leave you entirely and my Will takes over another Soul, the Rank 9 Killer Move will stop protecting me; my secrets will be unveiled very easily, and I also am not an otherworldly demon.
I will easily be predicted, and eventually…Killed.
However, with the time I have remaining, I still can change things.
Fang Yuan. I do not believe he will seize the body of a weakling; chances are he will go for a powerful body to be able to turn the situation around.
With the power he will give me, depending on when I am reborn, the situation may change a lot.
If I am reborn before my Clan perishes, I may be able to save everyone.
Even if I do not, I can still try to save however little I can, and avenge as much as possible.
To achieve such a goal, even my life is a small price to pay."
He smiled bitterly.
"Of course, while there is a hope for survival, who would like to die? I hoped that perhaps there may have been a chance to force a fusion between both sides, so I could use your powers as an otherworldly demon to save myself, and save the others.
However, I already prepared myself for other possibilities, as well as for the possibility of more than one me existing.
If another me indeed exists.
I will share the knowledge I received with him, and hopefully he makes the right decisions.
Whether things will work out or not is up to luck, honestly." As he said those words, he stared at Kao Dao Ji before smiling down.
"To be honest, I was not sure this plan would work either. I assumed that I would also inevitably fail, and you'd seize control over the body somehow.
Or that you'd refuse and I would be stuck in an impossible situation.
That is why I tried to push you so hard to give me the method as quickly as I could manage to, so you or your patrons would not pull any bullshit...
But honestly, I did not believe it would work; I was just going to pull a desperado with the few tricks I had left to try and save myself…
And yet among all the possibilities I imagined, I never thought you'd willingly choose this road…"
Kao Dao Ji shrugged down nonchalantly.
"What other choice did I have? You held all the cards, so why would you entrust everything to me for no good reason?
And while I could have tried to stall, things would collapse soon enough, anyway.
While you did not tell the truth, you were not lying completely. If I had refused, you truly would have ended up killing us both with your spite.
It was far too unlikely for me to outsmart you or beat you in the current circumstances; besides, even if I did, this was not the outcome I wished for…
There is another layer you never noticed, because you were too busy with your own issues.
Sounds familiar?
And I did not even sound half as smug as you did.
As for what that ' layer ' is I am talking about?
Figure it out yourself, idiot." He smiled bitterly before perishing.
At that moment.
Tiny cracks appeared inside the perception of the other Kao Dao Ji, which slowly propagated through the Dream Realm.
Until finally.
It cracked.
The dream dissipated out of thin air.
And as it did.
Crimson Soul, who was immersed in an intense battle, turned his head and clicked his tongue.
Without saying another word, he directly teleported towards them!
Hui Gui Yu came out of Kao Dao Ji's aperture and, without hesitation, charged in the same direction whilst gritting their teeth.
"Old dog, come and face me!" They shouted; however, Crimson Soul merely raised his eyebrows.
With one hand, they caught them.
"Such powerful passion and hatred. Did you regain your memories? Heh….I hoped to unseal them at the most opportune time so they would burn as intensively as possible. But I guess the dream lifted the veil before the ritual.
Even so, whilst the timing may be a bit odd, the rage in your heart will not be quenched so easily, right?"
Suddenly.
He turned his head whilst observing a massive mud dragon charging towards him.
With another simple gesture, he destroyed the attack, revealing Le Tu, who was hiding behind it.
He chuckled. He pointed his finger at Le Tu to kill him in one single blow.
But to his surprise, a member of Heavenly Court forcefully put his body in the way to deflect it.
"Young Le Tu, do not be stupid! You still have Divine Travel Gu, use it!" The member of Heavenly Court shouted as he drew his final breath.
Even then.
Le Tu did not hesitate in the slightest.
He opened his mouth to prepare another attack.
His pupils suddenly widened.
From his ribcage.
His heart and other vital organs had been forcefully pulled out.
He collapsed into the sky, and his corpse descended.
"You should have listened." Crimson Soul replied indifferently.
"Now what about the other one?" He turned his eyes towards Kao Dao Ji, seizing him up like a predator.
Of course, he was merely seeing his aperture, as Kao Dao Ji simply could not leave it.
But then.
At the next moment, his expression changed.
…
On the other side.
Once the Dream faded.
The Spring Autumn Success, which was resting for hours, opened its eyes.
Its expression was hungry with desire.
"This is my only chance! While the eyes of everybody are turned towards them, I need to act!" Of course Fang Yuan understood it was very risky.
As of now.
He was a mere Rank 8 Gu, carrying no power of his own.
Even the slightest attack would destroy him; if he was discovered at this conjecture, he would undoubtedly die.
Yet.
Precisely because everybody was so focused on the battlefield ahead, nobody would notice a mere Cicada stirring its wings so far away.
Fang Yuan flew as quickly as possible whilst remaining as quiet and as far away from the battlefield as possible.
Whilst he moved towards a certain corpse.
The corpse of Blue Lead, which had been caught by one of the solid clouds in the white heavens.
"This is not the body I hoped for, but I will have to settle for it." He thought solemnly.
At that moment, the Cicada finally reached the corpse.
He began to burrow deeply into the corpse, trying to reach his heart once this preparation was complete.
Spring Autumn Success could truly be activated.
But just then, his pupils suddenly widened.
Whilst everybody else ignored him, Kao Dao Ji's Immortal Aperture shot a small thread towards him.
The thread moved at an incredible speed.
"How did he find me? And why on earth did he prioritise me instead of his current situation?" Fang Yuan gritted his teeth; he finally entered the corpse.
Without any hesitation, he activated the Immortal Essence and detonated the Gu.
But just as he did.
The thread finally reached him.
Fang Yuan's pupils widened as he saw Kao Dao JI's devilish smile.
"Gotcha!" At the next instant.
The Will of the real Kao Dao Ji condensed into a spear piercing through the Spring Autumn Cicada.
The Will of Kao Dao Ji was injected into the Cicada, but before it could fully replace that of Fang Yuan.
The Gu activated in earnest.
And so.
The two were pulled by the river of time.