The fake prince was exposed at the beginning, and I took office as emperor on the spot

Chapter 270 Returning to the True Nature of the Six Dusts (Part Two)

Gu Fangchen's gaze fell on the can of cola in her hand.

That new world was where he came from.

Gu Fangchen raised her head:
"I have a question."

"How long have you been working on this plan?"

Xiao Zhenwu pondered for a moment, then said:

"Actually, even I can't quite remember..."

"This history serves as the unchanging sky of the present world, and if you were to count it, it might be millions of years old."

"Those dynasties rise and fall, rise and fall, they're always pretty much the same, I sometimes get tired of it."

This is pretty much what Gu Fangchen guessed.

Since the "Great Age of the Furnace" was interrupted, the cycle of dynasties has definitely not been just once; otherwise, it would not have been possible for only one first-rank official to remain so quickly.

He asked again:

"So you were so bored that you created the Great Wei?"

Xiao Zhenwu shook his head and laughed:
"You are too young to know how terrible the ravages of time can be. Even the strongest will can be driven crazy by time. You have to have something to do to pass the time."

So he experimented countless times and consumed countless cycles before he could create a Great Wei dynasty with a structure almost identical to that of the ancient dynasty.

Gu Fangchen was speechless.

Don't say he's too young; even if you add up all the first-rank officials together, they wouldn't be as old as Xiao Zhenwu.

For him, controlling the rise and fall of dynasties was probably just like playing Civilization—just a game...

Gu Fangchen asked again:

"You can only see that world through me, which means you have no control over how this new world will turn out?"

Xiao Zhenwu looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then said:

"My influence on you is limited. I can only guarantee that that world was formed without the influence of any corrupted 'path'. That's enough."

"This is the kind of world we need."

“When you stood in front of Xiao Ding, I knew that the plan was already half successful.”

“But until you grow to the point where you can pass through that false canopy and truly stand before me, I cannot let those eyes notice your existence, your specialness.”

"Therefore, I can only use the art of cause and effect to give you the deduced causal lines and remind you what to do. As for what those futures look like in your eyes, I am also very curious."

Gu Fangchen seemed to realize something.

Therefore, the entire game "Mirror in the Dust" is the future deduced from those causal lines.

Every ending is a real phenomenon, a "path" that needs to be avoided.

The reason why "Honglu" Company is called "Honglu" Company is because this information comes from this "Honglu Great World".

Gu Fangchen shrugged and said:
"It was a game, but according to the original plot, I wasn't the protagonist. I was just a minor character who died before the story even started. I wasn't even a supporting character."

He clicked his tongue, still feeling a little regretful:

"I had already finished the last ending and was preparing to upload the video, wanting to make a name for myself in the history of this game."

"Then a truck came along and hit me, knocking me over here..."

"truck?"

"The truck is..."

Gu Fangchen explained the terms from that other world to Xiao Zhenwu, and each term led to another.

Before it could go on and on, Gu Fangchen quickly stopped, took a sip of her cola, and waved her hand:
"Forget it, since you're going to enter this new world anyway, you'll see the real thing sooner or later, and you'll understand when you see it."

Xiao Zhenwu roughly understood and said:
"A monk once said, 'A flower is a world, a leaf is a Bodhi tree.' This is roughly the meaning of seeing the big picture from small details."

"However, this world does sound quite nice; even without the 'Tao,' it's an incredibly wonderful place."

Gu Fangchen asked again:

"So... how can I make the new world replace this one?"

Xiao Zhenwu stared at him intently and said:
Have you ever gone back?

Gu Fangchen nodded:
“I have truly died once before. At that time, my consciousness returned to another world, but that world is currently in a state of stagnation.”

Xiao Zhenwu:

"Do you remember what I just told you?"

"Where you stand is where the truth lies."

"But fundamentally, this world is the real one. After your soul re-integrates and returns to this body, you are now the complete you. Your karma has settled here, and that world has become a dream of yours, standing in the void."

"You cannot truly return until the karmic ties to this body are severed."

"When you relinquish everything in this world and return to nothingness with your consciousness, you will be able to return to your dream."

"At that time, dreams will be reversed, and if you want, you can take this world with you back to that new world."

……

That night.

Gu Fangchen sat casually on the roof of the palace, gazing up at the vast sky, lost in thought.

Those in the palace who witnessed this scene were horrified, so much so that they almost lost their footing.

Who would dare sit on the roof of this palace?
Although the Emperor was kind and benevolent, he was only so towards his subjects. Two hundred years ago, Xiao Zhenwu had to fight his way up step by step to unify the world. His influence was still strong, and every court official was trembling with fear.

He was a man who could dominate the world, and even the currently popular "God of War" Li Kan dared not act recklessly.

This is the true value of being a unique immortal.

But they had never seen this person before. He was first invited by Li Kan to a banquet, but he stood Li Kan up and was instead invited by His Majesty the Emperor.

Of course, during this time, they also learned about Mr. Gu's deeds.

To obtain three Dao Seeds by one person is indeed extremely powerful.

However, this person is only powerful enough to reasonably explain why Li Kan invited him over, and also to explain why the Human Emperor came to snatch him away.

But it doesn't explain why he was so audacious as to sit directly on the top of the palace!

Sitting on the top of this palace is practically like riding directly on the emperor's head, isn't it?
The Emperor showed no reaction whatsoever, which was tantamount to acquiescence.

And so they knew that the fate of this dynasty seemed to be about to change...

In reality, Gu Fangchen was sitting here simply because the roof of this main hall was the tallest building in the entire imperial city.

The layout of this imperial city is almost exactly the same as that of Huangtian City.

If the "Canliao Pillar" were present, it would be the tallest building in the imperial city, but the Grand Preceptor is not here right now.

The tallest building, of course, could only be the main hall in the very center of the imperial city.

Only by sitting here can Gu Fangchen be closest to that sky.

He looked up and counted the stars above.

He finally knew who he really was.

He is a descendant of Xiao Zhenwu who should not exist according to karma, and he is from the Boundless Void.

He is also a vessel for the two paths of "truth" and "falsehood," the [Mirror in the Dust] that only exists in the title of the game.

Only he could create a barrier to the new world, packing everything away and protecting it from the contamination of the "Tao".

Now, in the blink of an eye, he could return to the modern world.

According to Xiao Zhenwu, Ning Caiyong has transformed into the sky at this moment, using this stagnant history to suppress his "Dao," thus preventing him from appearing.

Only when Gu Fangchen severs her ties with karma and enters another world can she escape her suffering.

Gu Fangchen felt something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

This feeling was probably similar to when he got the sixth ending... It always left him with a vague sense of unease.

The last time he forcibly ignored this feeling of unease, he was directly hit by a semi-trailer truck and ended up here.

This forced him to reconsider.

Gu Fangchen looked at the sky, counting from east to west, from north to south. Suddenly, a star in the sky twinkled, then suddenly fell, turning into a shooting star... followed by a second, then a third.

Countless stars fell, transforming into an extremely beautiful meteor shower, as if the sky were weeping.

Gu Fangchen was stunned for a moment, then suddenly stood up.

The positions of those stars appeared to be random, as if they had simply fallen from one area.

But Gu Fangchen recognized her.

Ning Caiyong once embroidered a peace charm for him by hand. Besides the character "dust", it also had the celestial phenomena of Ning Caiyong's own birthday.

Ning Caiyong used to embroider peace charms for Gu Fangchen, one a year, which she would give to him on his birthday.

At that time, she was embroidering the celestial phenomena of Gu Fangchen's birthday.

But later, after learning that Gu Fangchen was not her biological daughter, she changed the embroidery to her own.

Only that one time, only that one.

This peace talisman has not yet been delivered to Gu Fangchen, but on that day, Gu Fangchen happened to break through to the Divine Travel Realm and saw the peace talisman that was almost finished in her hand.

The stars falling from the sky at this moment form the celestial phenomena embroidered on the peace charm.

A peace charm... to ensure safety.

Gu Fangchen heard the exclamations of the palace servants around her, and her expression softened.

……

the next day.

Gu Fangchen left the palace and went to Li Kan's residence.

When he was talking with Xiao Zhenwu yesterday, Li Kan sent someone to invite him again, expressing his sincere hope that Gu Fangchen would do him the honor of attending the banquet.

Gu Fangchen told Xiao Zhenwu directly that he had come to kill Li Kan.

Xiao Zhenwu simply smiled and said that it didn't matter. According to the original history, even if Gu Fangchen wasn't killed, he would still have killed Li Kan.

Li Kan was tyrannical and arrogant, and had committed too many atrocities. Without killing him, the Shigu Dynasty could not truly stabilize.

When Gu Fangchen arrived at Li Kan's residence, she discovered that its location was almost identical to that of the later Zhenbei Prince's Mansion.

Later, Gu Yuye discovered the "Martial Immortal's Tomb" and was targeted by Li Kan, becoming the object of his possession. He then climbed up step by step to become the Prince of Zhenbei and built the Prince of Zhenbei's Mansion.

It seems... that it's completely under Xiao Zhenwu's control.

Li Kan was very enthusiastic about Gu Fangchen's arrival and showed no sign of being angry about her previous remarks.

Gu Fangchen finally saw Li Kan's true colors.

Previously, he had either possessed Gu Yuye's body or been hacked to pieces by Ning Caiyong. This was the first time Gu Fangchen had ever seen what he looked like.

The reason this "military genius" was called "military genius" was also related to his appearance.

He was rather thin, dressed in a scholar's long gown, and his mustache made him look quite refined. He didn't look like a ruthless general, but rather like a scholar who copied books for others.

However, this was probably the last time they would see each other.

"Mr. Gu has just arrived, and last night fire rained down from the sky, which must be an auspicious sign."

When Li Kan saw Gu Fangchen walk in, he immediately stood up to greet her with a smile:

"Mr. Gu seems to have misunderstood me before, but since you've accepted the invitation, I'm sure we can put an end to our past misunderstandings..."

Gu Fangchen also stepped forward and smiled slightly:
“What misunderstanding? Li Kan, you seem to be mistaken. I have no misunderstanding about you, and you have no misunderstanding about me.”

"Do you know how the person I killed four times died the last time?"

Li Kan's face twitched, as if he were suppressing his emotions, and he said:
"How did you die?"

Gu Fangchen looked at him and said calmly:

"He was possessed by you and became the vessel for your resurrection."

"So the last time, the one who died was actually you."

Li Kan's expression changed. Although he didn't quite understand what Gu Fangchen was talking about, he knew that Gu Fangchen had come to kill him!

He had just raised his hand when he found himself in complete silence, standing on an unfamiliar street.

On both sides are tall gray buildings.

Li Kan looked bewildered, realizing that he couldn't even mobilize his spiritual energy.

Gu Fangchen looked at him, raised her hand, and snapped her fingers.

A blinding light struck, and Li Kan tried to retreat in terror, but it was too late.

"Bam—"

A truck ran over Gu Fangchen, turning Li Kan into a speed bump.

……

Gu Fangchen left the general's mansion, ignoring the chaos behind her, and leaped into the air, standing tall in the sky.

Xiao Zhenwu was already waiting for him in the sky.

"Your abilities are getting stronger and stronger."

Xiao Zhenwu gave him a deep look and said:
"But the more you do this, the stronger your causal connection with this world becomes."

Gu Fangchen shook her head:
"Anyway, aren't we going to cut them off all at once?"

"Too."

Gu Fangchen stood in mid-air, and with a thought, the Dharma image appeared behind her.

He released his Dharma form completely, no longer suppressing it.

The Dharma image quickly grew to an enormous size, almost blotting out the sky.

The Dharma form condensed from the wishes of all sentient beings is his cultivation and one of the greatest causes and effects between him and this world.

Gu Fangchen separated it from herself and pushed the Dharma image away.

"boom--"

The Dharma image fell towards the human world, disintegrated in mid-air, and turned into three parts.

The part shaped by the Qingman faith transformed into a giant, wandering aimlessly across the vast grasslands. After walking for an unknown amount of time, he collapsed on a snow-capped mountain.

The part shaped by the Fatuma faith transformed into a lotus flower, drifting gently and landing in the desert of the Western Regions, where it blossomed into an oasis.

The part created by the Tuoyin Sea Kingdom transformed into a real dragon, which was thrown into the sea. It quickly became exhausted and sank into the deep sea, where it was devoured by a group of sea beasts.

Countless causal lines appeared on Gu Fangchen's body. He flipped his right hand and took out the [White Steed], which could sever everything.

As he looked at these various scenes, an idea suddenly came to him.

It seems that... only when dust returns to dust and ashes return to ashes can it be called "the return of the six dusts to their true nature".

The so-called "six dusts" refer to form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and mental objects; all objects of contact between the mind and body are collectively called the "six dusts".

When everything dissipates and we return to our true nature, it is the most fitting description of "returning to one's true self."

"This is a... false ending."

Gu Fangchen suddenly stopped what she was doing.

"The six senses... return to the true nature."

"Dust...returns...to...true..."

In Gu Fangchen's mind, those plot lines that had once lingered in his heart, interwoven like a tangled mess, were like a persistent dark cloud hanging over his heart, even just now.

He seemed to have figured it out, but he always felt something was missing.

Gu Fangchen was a minor, insignificant character who died before the plot even began.

The player takes on the role of a young man who suddenly encounters a fortuitous event and becomes a member of "Tan Yuan".

This isn't right...this is absolutely wrong!

If everything is as Xiao Zhenwu said, and it is the cause-and-effect line he deduced to remind and warn Gu Fangchen, then why not deduce it from Gu Fangchen's perspective?
In that boundless void, all the visual pollution of the "Tao" has been blocked, so why bother to conceal it?
The player takes on the role of Xiao Zhenwu!

The players who returned from the Yellow Springs were no longer players, but merely empty shells occupied by the "Tao"!
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: There is no modern-day arc. This volume will be the finale. I will probably write some modern-day side stories later.
(End of this chapter)