Chapter 1 The Beginning
Shangqing Palace, the back mountain, the Sword Tomb.
A young man in white and a young woman in white stood at the entrance of the Sword Tomb, looking around.
A Yun looked at the giant stone sword inside the Sword Tomb, and hesitantly asked Ye Ling, "Ye Ling, do you think this will really work? Won't we be exposed by the watchers?"
After A Yun was rescued by Ye Ling, she felt a slight sense of being alive, and at the same time, she developed a fear of death and instinctively became afraid of dying.
"No, I have already modified your and my soul information using Mo Zhi Jian. As long as we don't act too arrogantly, the watchers won't be able to find us," Ye Ling reassured A Yun.
"Okay..."
A Yun didn't have many of her own ideas. After hearing Ye Ling's comfort, she no longer had any doubts and instead asked Ye Ling, "What should I do next?"
"Do as you normally do... but you need to be aware that you are no longer an elder of Tianyun Island, nor do you recognize any of your former colleagues. Try to minimize interaction with others."
"Okay."
A Yun nodded as if she understood, then, following Ye Ling's instructions, she swaggered towards the giant sword in the center of the Sword Tomb, activating the barrier around the Sword Tomb with a special technique and opening the space within.
Ye Ling felt the powerful aura emanating from within the Sword Tomb and nervously pursed his lips. After calming himself, he nodded to A Yun and said, "Go in."
"Okay."
A Yun nodded and entered the space within the Sword Tomb first, with Ye Ling following closely behind.
Inside the Sword Tomb was also a giant floating island.
It was similar to Tianyun Island, but about a third smaller.
On this floating island, Ye Ling also saw many young men and women in white. Some were busy with their work, while others were playing carefree on the island.
If Ye Ling hadn't known that there was a watcher hidden on this island who wanted to kill him at any moment, he might have thought he had arrived in another paradise.
A Yun was very familiar with this island and quickly led Ye Ling into the crowd playing on the grass without attracting anyone's attention.
Ye Ling sat on the grass, looking at the boys and girls playing around him, and couldn't help but ask A Yun, "Is your daily life like this?"
"Not usually," A Yun shook her head. "After we are created, we receive missions from the watchers and act according to their instructions."
"The reason they are playing on the grass now is also a mission from the watchers. The purpose is to create a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere so that you will lower your guard when you enter."
Hearing A Yun's words, Ye Ling's mouth twitched, and he said, "I remember that in Tianyun Island, these young men and women also appeared carefree. Could it have been a mission from the watchers back then?"
A Yun nodded and said, "Yes, from the moment you entered the Source Upper Realm, we noticed you and waited for an opportunity to capture you. When you and Ji Ning fell into the spatial turbulence, we took the opportunity to lure you to Tianyun Island, then treated you to gain your trust."
"According to the normal procedure, we didn't need to forcibly throw you into the Tianyun Sacred Spring. However, we didn't expect you to have the Zhenshi Pearl, which made you wary of the Tianyun Sacred Spring. That's why we had to get you drunk with Sanyuan Divine Wine and then throw you into the Tianyun Sacred Spring."
Ye Ling sighed, "Your methods are truly hard to guard against. If I hadn't had the Zhenshi Pearl, I would have fallen for it the first time... But even with the Zhenshi Pearl, the outcome in Tianyun Island didn't change. Destiny still emerged, and you achieved your goal."
A Yun added, "Actually, the outcome did change. Normally, after you entered the Tianyun Sacred Spring and actively received its power, your consciousness would have completely transformed into destiny. However, because the Zhenshi Pearl made you vigilant, you were able to retain your original consciousness, which also laid hidden dangers for us to lose destiny later."
"Tianyun Island that time, the watchers lost."
"So there was this kind of trickery involved..." Ye Ling couldn't help but sigh with emotion and feel fortunate after hearing A Yun's inside story.
It turned out that before he even set foot on Tianyun Island, he had already been targeted by it.
If it weren't for the Zhenshi Pearl saving his life in time, he probably wouldn't have even had a chance to prepare a fallback.
It was precisely what A Yun said that made Ye Ling take the watchers even more seriously, placing them at the same intellectual level as himself, or even more cunning and calculating than him!
"It seems that for every step I take from now on, I must have a backup plan in case I am discovered, so as not to get myself into trouble. Be careful in everything, and never act rashly!"
Ye Ling muttered to himself and began to readjust his plan.
Although he was currently venturing into a dragon's lair, he still prioritized his own safety.
After all, he had seen countless eyes in the Book of Origin back then, which meant there were countless watchers. If he were to perish with one watcher here, it would definitely be a loss.
No matter how strong the watchers were, they were numerous, but the Emperor Ancestor... was only one.
After entering the floating island, Ye Ling did not choose to act immediately. Instead, like the other young men and women in white, he rested and played on the grass, as if he had completely blended in.
And Ye Ling's pretense lasted for over a month.
During this time, Ye Ling discovered that although the young men and women appeared lively, their actions were fixed every week. The same laughter, the same movements... Ye Ling saw repetitions every week!
This floating island, which seemed full of vitality, was like a set program. Everyone had no ideas of their own.
Even A Yun, whom Ye Ling had rescued, was merely mechanically executing the tasks Ye Ling assigned.
Although A Yun had escaped the watchers, her essence had not changed much.
Of course, it was precisely because of A Yun's special personality that Ye Ling could easily direct her, and also made Ye Ling trust her more.
Before the matter here was resolved, Ye Ling did not intend to teach A Yun how to become a real person.
Through his observations in these days, Ye Ling gradually realized that although he had successfully infiltrated this floating island, he could not get close to the watchers.
Although there were many people here, they were all doing their own tasks according to predetermined missions. Ye Ling had also been on this grass for over a month and had already been recognized by the surrounding young men and women as someone with the same mission.
Ye Ling estimated that if he left the grass now and moved closer to the depths of the floating island, he would become a target and face a great risk of exposure.
Ye Ling looked at the young men and women in front of him whose behavior was monotonous, and couldn't help but ask A Yun, "A Yun, how often do the watchers issue orders? Are we just going to be stuck here like this?"
A Yun replied, "There is no pattern to this, and the watchers have no concept of time... If you must say there is a pattern, it is that new orders are issued only after the watchers have achieved their goal."
"Achieved their goal... I understand."
Hearing A Yun's words, Ye Ling's eyes lit up slightly, and he stood up from the grass.
"What do you understand?" A Yun asked, seeing Ye Ling suddenly stand up.
"It wants to achieve its goal... Then I will make its goal come true!"