Gu contained the essence of life, a delicate thread woven into the very fabric of existence. It was divided into two categories: mortal Gu and immortal Gu. Mortal Gu was limited, using its lifespan to preserve memories; it could retain two thousand years of memories for only a thousand years of its own life.
After looking at the vast forest for some time, he took a deep breath and returned. Even if there was a danger, it was nothing for him.
[Maybe I am day dreaming...]
[Or maybe it's all because of this...]
In his hand rested the Memory Gu, an immortal Gu with radiant white skin that emitted a golden aura. A distinct golden mark adorned its forehead, symbolizing the weight of thousands of years of memories contained within. As he focused on it, its aura surged skyward, enveloping the surrounding mountains in a brilliant glow. From the yellow mark, a tendril of energy—like a crystalline thread—extended toward him. When Zhu Fan touched this tendril, images of the past flooded his mind.
He found himself standing beneath a night sky, a black dome that swallowed thousands of suns in the void. Unknown energies drifted in the infinite expanse, and he stood atop a pile of corpses, eyes gleaming with a challenge to the heavens. The sword he wielded, known as the Soul-Devouring Demon, had been tempered with spiritual energy, honed through thousands of strikes infused with Qi energy. In that moment, he transcended the realm of humanity itself; he had become death incarnate.
Where lay the boundary of humanity? Was it humanity's fate to breach the divine threshold and uncover other realms? Zhu Fan attained his greatest enlightenment by crossing these boundaries.
"Beyond the limits of humanity," he mused, "where good and evil lose their definitions, lies a gray world. Good and evil—black and white—intertwine, birthing the realm of the gods. In that realm, absolute morality ceases to exist."
He witnessed firsthand that the gods did not view "good and evil" as measures of worth. These concepts could not serve as accurate criteria in a world so complex. The gods built their palaces in the shadow of the world tree, sipping from the river of time to sustain their immortality. Though they guided souls toward their destinies, they also safeguarded the world tree from hidden dangers lurking in the vast void.
The branches of the world tree spread like spider webs, an infinite network covering the gods' palaces like a protective vault. One half burned with an eternal flame, while the other shimmered with a crystalline light reminiscent of the moon.
Zhu Fan absorbed the splendor of this realm, but he knew he was unworthy of uncovering its deeper truths. Fatigue crept into his spirit, blurring his vision. He felt an instinctual dread at attracting the attention of the gods or the world tree. A primal urge to flee surged within him, but the river of time roared like a tempest. A fragment broke away and coalesced in the air, taking the shape of a shadowy figure that reached toward him with an outstretched hand.
Panic surged through Zhu Fan, prompting him to step back, yet he realized there was no escaping the goddess of time. Her presence was overwhelming, a reminder of the inexorable march of destiny that governed all beings.
As her hand drew closer, he understood: time was an entity unto itself, and to resist it would be futile. In that moment, he faced a choice—embrace the truth of his existence and the lessons it held or be swept away by the relentless tide of time.