Chapter 598: Chapter 497: The Truth Within the Endless Cycle
So, if the Queen Mother of the West truly wants us to fear death, what is her motive?
"To make us bow down in worship, or alternatively, to die standing."
"This in itself is a choice, or more precisely, a test for you."
Han Zhan paused as he spoke, looking forward with serene eyes.
No matter how ugly, grotesque, and terrifying the giant toad may seem.
The other Contracted Spirit Girls also revived from "death," witnessing the blood-colored Jasper Pool of the Tomb of Immortals and hearing the conversation between Han Zhan and the Queen Mother of the West.
If Han Zhan and his group feared death and couldn’t bear losing their last life, choosing to worship the Queen Mother,
Then they would surely become part of the time loop, perhaps becoming the true Seven Immortal Maidens.
If Han Zhan and his group were unafraid of death, losing all their lives, they would appear here, witnessing the true Kunlun Immortal Court.
Touching upon the ultimate truth of the entire Kunlun Twin Fruit World.
"Now, can you tell us what the truth is in this endless time loop?" Han Zhan asked.
As a Saint standing at the Peak of Transcendence, the Queen Mother of the West must have left the Fruit World.
Taishang Laojun claimed she had never left, only because that part of the memory had been altered.
At the Peach Blossom Banquet, Han Zhan, along with the Contracted Spirit Girls, inquired with other Immortals, and they all gave the same answer: the Queen Mother of the West had never left the Fruit World.
This familiar feeling immediately reminded Han Zhan of Nuannuan.
As the River of Time was redirected, Nuannuan also lost a part of her memory.
Only Emperor Chong’en, who mastered the Knowledge Dao, could not completely erase his memories due to the nature of the Knowledge Dao as ever-emerging waves on the River of Time, leading to the failure of memory alteration.
"What did you see after leaving the Fruit World that caused this tragedy?" Han Zhan asked again.
In his deductions, he had come infinitely close to the ultimate truth.
And this truth needed to be unveiled personally by the Queen Mother of the West.
After a long silence, the ugly giant toad began to speak.
"You are very clever, and indeed, as I expected, you successfully broke the time loop."
"From the moment the time loop was broken, they truly died in every sense."
Those who died would be reborn here, while those who were alive would truly die.
At this moment, Han Zhan understood the time loop of the Kunlun Twins on a deeper level.
"They all died." The Queen Mother of the West’s tone was filled with loneliness.
Weren’t they killed by you? Han Zhan couldn’t help but ridicule inwardly at this thought, though only daring to do so in his mind.
"Everyone must die, including me."
The words of the Queen Mother of the West sounded not like one standing at the Peak of the Realm of Transcendence, but more like a hopeless person overwhelmed by despair.
This eerie and discordant feeling made Han Zhan furrow his brows.
"You just asked me what I saw after leaving the Fruit World, right?" The Queen Mother of the West repeated Han Zhan’s question.
Then she spoke, "I saw the disappearance of the Sages."
The disappearance of the Sages?!
Han Zhan abruptly raised his head, looking at the giant toad across from him, hoping to find evidence of her lying from some clues.
But unfortunately, Han Zhan found nothing.
How could Sages disappear? How could they possibly disappear?
They are beings beyond the Realm of Transcendence, stronger than Tier Nine Peak! How could they disappear for no reason? That’s impossible!
The words of the Queen Mother of the West completely exceeded Han Zhan’s understanding, reaching a level he could not yet touch with his current power.
"Yes, that’s right, that expression."
"Even after countless ages, I still remember the bewildered look on my face when I discovered this truth, just like yours now."
"Our world resides on the World Tree, with countless fruits upon it, each containing countless worlds..."
In the tale of the Queen Mother of the West, those long-buried past events were slowly unveiled.
The Fruit World grows on the World Tree.
However, it’s unknown what happened in between, causing the original World Tree to wither into the current Bodhi Treasure Tree, and even the Fruit World on its branches to be reduced to only a scarce dozen or so remaining.
In the era of the Queen Mother of the West, the Fruit World was still abundant.
In each Fruit World, every few epochs, a Saint would be born.
The existence of a Saint is to fend off the Primordial True Insect, "Silence," outside the World Tree that covets the Fruit World.
This understanding is the true essence that every Saint comprehends after stepping into the Realm of Transcendence, a greater existence than the Saint itself, engraving it as a "Mission of the Dao" on the path of Transcendence hidden amid the void.
Thus, becoming a Saint to guard the Fruit World and repel the Primordial True Insect became the historical mission passed down from generation to generation among the Saints.
Before the Queen Mother of the West’s Ascension to Saint, the Kunlun Twin Fruit World had not seen the birth of a Saint for many epochs.
The Queen Mother of the West, who successfully fused with the Original Dao Soldiers Kunlun Mirror, became the most hopeful candidate to break through to Ascension and eventually succeeded, not disappointing everyone.
Having achieved Ascension, the Queen Mother of the West didn’t forget her "Mission of the Dao," left the Fruit World, and intended to fight off the Primordial True Insect outside the World Tree.
However, upon leaving the Kunlun Twin Fruit World and arriving outside the Fruit World,
She witnessed the withered World Tree, countless shattered Fruit Worlds, and the massive, indescribable corpse of the Primordial True Insect, "Silence," appearing at the edge of the Void Sea.
All the Sages, except her, had vanished without a trace.
"You should be able to guess which Dao I cultivated." The Queen Mother of the West looked at Han Zhan.
The latter nodded slightly, "It’s the Time Dao. The Kunlun Mirror can traverse the River of Time, so it’s the Time Dao that madam cultivated."
"Correct, and you probably know that there isn’t just one River of Time, but countless ones. So, even a deceased Primordial True Insect like ’Silence’ has its own River of Time."
Therefore, the Queen Mother of the West, with her ability to travel the River of Time, entered the particular River of Time belonging to the Primordial True Insect, "Silence."
She witnessed the devouring of various Fruit Worlds on the World Tree by the Primordial True Insect.
She saw the supernal means by which Nuwa and Fu Xi created a "All Realms Unite" Fruit World.
And she saw the ultimate battle between the Sages led by the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan and the Primordial True Insect, "Silence."
Moreover, she witnessed the sudden disappearance of the Sages after this battle!
As the Queen Mother of the West swam upriver in the River of Time and saw this sight, she was horrified, feeling as if something was watching her.
Without hesitation, she severed the connection with the particular River of Time belonging to "Silence," and in a flash, traversed the endless Rivers of Time.
But the eerie feeling persisted like a parasitic insect, inseparable from her.
To escape that gaze and preserve the truth she witnessed,
The Queen Mother of the West resolutely chose to return to the Kunlun Twin Fruit World, initiating this endless time loop!
