Chapter 1313: Chapter 1312: The Lame Trick

After finishing a day’s work, Gu Junye returned to his abode.

The dim candlelight flickered faintly, barely illuminating the entire abode. A pond was constructed in the center of it, where a pool of lotuses was planted. His calligraphy adorned the walls, imparting a primitive and imposing air. Next to it stood a bookshelf, displaying ancient tomes.

The entire abode was antique and elegant, reminiscent of styles from ancient times yet distinct, designed by Gu Junye himself.

He took off his shoes and stepped into the lotus pond, sitting cross-legged on a green lotus leaf. As the lotus bloomed, a soft halo radiated around him, making his presence enigmatic and profound.

This was Gu Junye’s daily routine for cultivation. Although the newspaper office was known as a holy land for worldly cultivation, merely delving into the mundane world was not enough; cultivation was also necessary.

One flower represents a world; one leaf, a state of Buddha. Gu Junye, sitting on the green lotus, closed his eyes. At this moment, he didn’t feel like he was sitting on a lotus, but rather dwelling at the supreme heights of myriad realms. Each flower, each drop of water represented a world; the myriad realms revolved around him. His fate and the cultivation world were closely intertwined, the stronger he became, the stronger the cultivation world would become.

An unheralded dark figure appeared in the abode, frowning at Gu Junye who was in the midst of cultivation.

The mastermind behind the scenes observed for a long time, still uncertain if Gu Junye was the person he was looking for.

He had barely escaped death by feigning it. Everything had settled down, the cultivation world had opened, and everyone was in harmony, joyful together. If he acted rashly, he might disturb this peace and tangle again with the Immortal Fairy and Yun Zhi, causing trouble.

He wasn’t fond of provoking issues. Had he known that dealing with the Immortal Fairy would bring so much trouble after her death, he would have chosen a different method to tackle her.

Thus, unless necessary, he would not take action.

But Gu Junye’s identity was still uncertain to him; this uncertainty was a vulnerability that needed his own investigation.

"Boy, do you know who I am?"

It was supposed to be only Gu Junye in the abode, but suddenly a stranger’s voice emerged. Anyone would panic in such a situation, only the degree would vary. However, Gu Junye remained unfazed.

He slowly opened his eyes, seeing the dark figure, whose identity was unknown, and said calmly:

"You’ve finally arrived."

The shadowy figure was instantly shocked. Was it really him?

Hearing the tone, had he recovered all his memories? How could this be possible given his current cultivation level? Could it be that the effect of the Reincarnation Dao Fruit Prototype differed from his estimation?

Immediately turning his surprise into joy, it seemed Gu Junye’s identity was almost certainly confirmed. He could deal with it directly, but to be safe, further confirmation was needed.

"Do you know who I am?"

Gu Junye let out a light laugh, as if mocking the shadowy figure for asking a foolish question.

"You have your answer, don’t you?"

The shadowy figure’s breath hitched, Gu Junye had hit the nail on the head, Gu Junye’s composed demeanor was only possible for a reincarnator who had retrieved memories from a previous life.

He had actually already confirmed Gu Junye’s identity.

Gu Junye formed a lotus gesture with one hand, a mysterious smile hovering on his lips, akin to Buddha smiling at a flower: "I thought that by undergoing reincarnation, I could sever causality and start anew. But it seems the causality between us is too deep, and it cannot be severed even through cycles of reincarnation."

Gu Junye looked at the shadowy figure, sighing deeply: "Ah, so focused on causality, how can you advance further?"

The shadowy figure’s heartbeat slowed, astonished by Gu Junye’s words—it seemed he knew more than the shadowy figure had assumed.

As he spoke, did it imply he wanted to voluntarily sever ties and causality with him? "Do you mean you won’t expose my identity, and you do not mind that I possessed you?"

Gu Junye heard this and burst into laughter, tears streaming down: "Possessed? Merely trapped by the shell of my past life!"

"You have trapped yourself here, unable to extricate yourself and have already been punished; why should I bother with you anymore?"

The mastermind behind the scenes trembled, not expecting such an understanding of possession, and upon reflection, what Gu Junye said made a lot of sense.

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Could it be that he, having undergone nine cycles of reincarnation, has reached an unknowable state of enlightenment?

If he were to put himself in Gu Junye’s shoes, with his position and cultivation level, could he remain as unflustered if roles were reversed?

The answer is no; his mindset entirely depends on his cultivation level.

The mastermind behind the scenes felt deeply ashamed and couldn’t lift his head in front of Gu Junye.

In terms of cultivation level, he was many levels higher than Gu Junye, but when comparing mind states, he was inferior; Gu Junye was far beyond him.

The mastermind behind the scenes deeply envied Gu Junye’s state of mind, this state of boundless freedom and ease, unconstrained by cultivation level—isn’t this what he had been pursuing all his life?

How could he attain such a state of mind? Perhaps it requires acquiring the Recarnation Dao Fruit Prototype and undergoing nine lifetimes of reincarnation, achieving consummation of the Dao Fruit and developing the mind state naturally?

Does that mean he needs to die nine times?

Seeing the mastermind in deep thought, Gu Junye knew what he was contemplating: "If you are free, why not meet with Xuanyuan Sword Master? He is now blocked by the barrier from his past knowledge and refuses to stir up past memories. You had a good relationship with him in a past life; maybe your appearance could help complete his cultivation."

The mastermind was stunned; what did that mean?

"Hold on, who do you think I am?"

"Your beloved bestowed her heart to me and rejected your love. In a critical moment, she took a fatal blow for me and passed away unexpectedly. Although it was an accident no one wished for, you always felt the fault lay with me. You took advantage of my tribulation to launch a sneak attack and try to possess my weak body."

"Netherworld Venerable, I didn’t want to bring this up; why must you ask?"

The mastermind behind the scenes: "..."

No, who the hell is the Netherworld Venerable?!

What is all this about!

The mastermind behind the scenes realized he had been completely fooled by Gu Junye and was terribly tricked.

He stared at Gu Junye fiercely, emitting a ghastly aura, causing the entire abode space to tremble.

The mastermind gasped heavily, face twisted ferociously, debating whether or not to simply kill Gu Junye.

"Boy, you did well!" those five words squeezed through his teeth, as a deathly aura unprecedentedly neared Gu Junye.

While killing Gu Junye would be easy, doing so would also expose the fact that he was still alive, rendering all his efforts in vain.

His hands clenched tightly, creaking, and he ultimately decided to let Gu Junye go.

Now, he just wanted to slap himself; damn it, why did he have to come here and suffer? Wouldn’t it be better to stay by Lu Yang’s side and enjoy himself?

The mastermind couldn’t wait to leave this place; with a cold snort, he disappeared as if he had never been here.

Gu Junye still maintained his seated lotus position, his eyes puzzled and particularly confused.

"Strange, wasn’t I in the middle of cultivation, why did I stop and open my eyes?"

"That’s right, it must be because my mind state has yet to reach perfection; I need to continue my cultivation."

He closed his eyes again, quickly entering a meditative trance, immersing himself in a world contained within a single bloom.