I Truly Am The Villian Chapter 2296 - 2295: Blood Ganoderma, the Secret Revealed

"With a treasure like this in existence, how could anyone not be enticed?" Xu Zimei stated with a calm demeanor.

"A treasure? What sort of treasure could it be?" Liu Ruyan couldn't help but inquire.

She found it difficult to comprehend what kind of treasure could have led to the current state of the grand Sect Gate before her eyes.

"A person," Xu Zimei replied.

"Or perhaps, it's more accurate to describe it as a calamity rather than a person."

"You understand that the world is vast and contains all manner of things."

"A person?" Liu Ruyan was momentarily taken aback.

Then, she seemed to snap back to reality.

Her gaze fell upon the peculiar individual standing silently to the side.

This strange person remained motionless, awaiting Xu Zimei's command without any volition of their own.

Yet, Liu Ruyan felt an inexplicable certainty that this peculiar individual was, in all likelihood, the very 'treasure' Xu Zimei had mentioned.

"Have you discerned it?" Xu Zimei saw no reason to conceal the truth further.

He disclosed directly, "From a certain vantage point, this treasure isn't a person at all, but rather a Blood Ganoderma, nurtured by heaven and earth."

"Does such a Ganoderma truly exist in this world?" Liu Ruyan found this concept difficult to accept.

A Ganoderma that had taken on a human form.

"The world is vast and contains all manner of things," Xu Zimei offered with a slight smile.

"Initially, a Ganoderma is without inherent attributes."

"However, due to the immense effusion of blood and Soul poured into it by the disciples of the Bliss Sect, the Ganoderma eventually transformed into a Demon."

"A Demon that brings about utter destruction."

"A Demon?" Liu Ruyan looked at the strange person before her, instinctively taking a few steps back.

She had no reason to doubt Xu Zimei's words.

After all, he had no conceivable motive to deceive her.

Furthermore, the entire scene within this Demon City already presented a profoundly bizarre spectacle.

The very existence of such a place was an extreme anomaly in itself.

"The Demon annihilated everything. The entire Bliss Sect was eradicated in an instant," Xu Zimei recounted with calm composure.

"Yet, the members of the Bliss Sect retained a sliver of their conscience."

"They employed their final desperate measures to fully Seal the Demon away."

"Ultimately, save for the fifteenth-generation Sect Master of the Bliss Sect, every other soul perished."

"Everyone… everyone is gone." Liu Ruyan gasped, drawing in a sharp breath.

"To think that a single Demon was capable of causing such a vast, formidable Sect to vanish like smoke. Just how powerful must that Demon be?"

"Its strength? It possesses the potential for infinite power," Xu Zimei responded with a smile.

"The greater the desires harbored within people's hearts, the stronger this Demon becomes."

"If the Demon was that potent, how could it possibly have been Sealed?" Liu Ruyan posed her question, laced with confusion.

"Because, in the end, all others were deceased, and the Sect Master of the Bliss Sect no longer harbored any desires.

"The Demon's strength naturally diminished to nothing."

Xu Zimei elaborated.

"Following this, the Sect Master of the Bliss Sect utilized the illusion of a mirage to Seal the Demon."

"This 'Sect Master of the Bliss Sect' you speak of—who exactly is he?" Liu Ruyan inquired.

"All within this Demon City is but an illusion; who here is truly real?"

"The Sect Master. Have you not always sought to find him?" Xu Zimei asked with a knowing smile.

"Lu… Lu Simiao?" Liu Ruyan responded, a hint of disbelief coloring her tone.

"That Medicine King."

"You should have arrived at this conclusion much sooner," Xu Zimei remarked.

"What are the prerequisites the Medicine King imposes upon those seeking his remedies?"

"Each individual must perform Three good deeds."

"That is acts of redemption. Do you comprehend?"

"Back then, had he not been so stubborn and excessively greedy, the Bliss Sect would never have met its demise."

"He seeks to atone for his transgressions throughout his lifetime."

"However, certain matters have irrevocably changed from their original state. This so-called atonement merely serves as a means to find a measure of psychological solace."

At this juncture, Liu Ruyan found herself at a loss for words.

She was merely an individual seeking a cure.

Yet, she had inadvertently stumbled upon such a momentous secret.

For a brief moment, she felt utterly unsure of what would be appropriate to say.

"And you? What exactly are you, to possess such profound knowledge?"

"To you, I am merely a passerby," Xu Zimei stated with unwavering calm.

"A passerby whom you will never encounter again, nothing more."

"Since you are aware of the Demon's terrifying nature, why… why would you still release it?"

Liu Ruyan's gaze shifted between the peculiar individual and Xu Zimei as she posed her question.

In the past, Lu Simiao had divided the Demon into Three distinct parts.

The Master of Blood River Valley retained its form, the Master of Corpse Burial Mound its flesh, and the Master of Doomsday Temple its Soul.

By fragmenting it thus, the hope was to ensure the Demon would never resurface.

However, Xu Zimei was now collecting the Three Parts, intending to bring about the Demon's rebirth into the world.

Regarding Liu Ruyan's words, Xu Zimei felt no haste to respond.

His gaze first settled upon the statue directly before them—the one belonging to Sikong Xingyun.

As the very founder of the Bliss Sect, and its Ancestor, Sikong Xingyun was undeniably a monumental figure.

The cultivation method he devised, rooted in desire, became the engine for the Bliss Sect's flourishing development.

Yet, regardless of Sikong Xingyun's greatness, his end was mortality.

Within the Divine Continent, immortality is a myth. Even achieving longevity is an arduous quest.

Although Xu Zimei bestowed significant authority upon the inhabitants of the Divine Continent, and even accommodated those who wished to depart, provided they possessed sufficient strength and were willing to meet a certain price, he did not stand in their way.

But this concept of immortality—it is akin to a forbidden boundary. This one tenet cannot be breached.

Even though he himself yearned for eternal life, seeking to use infinite time to unravel the universe's enigmas, he could not permit this same pursuit in others.

What is the sole equitable truth in existence?

It is that the deceased cannot be resurrected.

Should immortality manifest, all established order within the Divine Land would descend into utter pandemonium.

... ...

At this juncture, Xu Zimei produced the Buddha Beads he had previously acquired from the treasure chest.

The elderly monk's countenance had remained placid.

However, upon witnessing the Buddha Beads, his body gave an involuntary tremble.

He would not impede Xu Zimei's entry into the Doomsday Temple, nor would he obstruct the retrieval of the Soul.

This was because the Soul was not a prize that anyone could simply claim.

But this string of Buddha Beads was an entirely different matter.

It was an artifact that Sikong Xingyun had perpetually carried.

It represented the most pristine ancestral relic that survived the Bliss Sect's ultimate destruction.

Xu Zimei reverently placed the Buddha Beads before Sikong Xingyun's statue.

He then declared with measured calm, "The day these Buddha Beads manifest in this world will mark the transgression of the taboo."

"Crack, crack."

Observable fissures began to spiderweb across Sikong Xingyun's statue.

The Soul of the enigmatic individual had been ensnared within the statue's confines.

And the singular key to unlocking this seal was precisely this string of Buddha Beads.

In truth, Xu Zimei possessed the capacity to shatter it directly through sheer force—employing his peerless might to enact a catastrophic dimensional strike.

However, he harbored no desire to expose an excessive degree of his capabilities on the Divine Continent.

For he exists beyond the confines of all this; he is the architect of it all.

He must not become overly enmeshed with this realm.

He is akin to a participant in a game of Go, observing with quiet detachment as the black and white stones engage in a fierce struggle.

He cannot step onto the board himself.

To do so would mean his transformation from player to a mere piece on the board.

... ...

As the statue disintegrated incrementally, the Soul trapped within could scarcely be contained any longer.

The old monk slowly lowered his eyelids, shutting them.

He released a somber sigh and once more performed the traditional Buddhist gesture of reverence.

"All existence in this world arises from destiny and returns to destiny. In the end, all must be confronted."

"You cannot evade it."

"No one can."