Reverend Insanity

Gorgeous lights slowly dissipated from the stone room. Feng Jin Huang took a deep breath, staring forward without blinking, with her sharp eyes flickering with light.

A cocoon-like lump of light, the size of a millstone, was quietly floating in front of her.

“The final step.” Feng Jin Huang took another deep breath, suddenly pinching all her fingers.

Her ten fingers then opened like blossoming flowers, endless bright lights flickering from them, shining upon the whole stone room!

Feng Jin Huang’s movement was so skilled even refinement path grandmasters would show a solemn expression.

Feng Jin Huang was already a refinement path great grandmaster, it was not strange for her to have such exquisite Gu techniques.

What Feng Jin Huang was using was a dual metal and fire path refinement technique, she had found this method to be the most suitable for her.

Boom!

After a while, a loud sound erupted, the cocoon, however, did not explode and was instead rapidly shrinking.

The pure-white cocoon surface gradually turned into dark blue color, while the cocoon gradually turned firmer with some metallic luster.

“I finally succeeded after failing many times!” Feng Jin Huang’s eyes flashed with joy. Her mind was calm the whole time, she was already starting to display the demeanor of a refinement path great expert.

The rank five Gu worm was refined, but it still needed to be processed with proper technique.

Feng Jin Huang opened her mouth, carefully breathing out wisps of cold air.

As the cold air blew on it, the blue cocoon slightly trembled and let out a buzzing noise. Large amounts of hot air rose up from the cocoon, filling the whole stone room with hot fog.

Using dual metal and fire path refinement techniques created such a residual effect, the temperature of the Gu worm would become too high and if it was not cooled down in time, it might not die, but it would be severely injured and difficult to use.

Gu refinement was an extremely deep and broad subject with countless techniques. Any Gu refinement technique had its advantages and disadvantages. If an ice refinement method was used to refine this Gu worm, the residual effect could not be treated with cold air, the Gu had to be nourished in warm water for some time.

Feng Jin Huang stopped her techniques and slowly stood up from the cushion.

The rank five Gu floated to her hand, she tested it carefully, her solemn expression bloomed like flowers as she let out a dazzling smile.

She left the secret room and walked out of the cavern.

The moment she opened the door, the huge rumbling noise of a waterfall, the sounds of birds, and the rustling of tree leaves entered her ears.

Outside of the extremely quiet secret room, the world had once again sprouted to life.

The verdant green mountains, birds singing, fragrance of the flowers, the bright sunlight, everything was tranquil and beautiful.

Feng Jin Huang looked around and saw Duke Long sitting quietly on a giant rock beside a pool.

The lights from the mountain delighted the birds, the shadows on the pool set the heart at ease.

“Master, master, take a look! I refined this dream pillow Gu.” Feng Jin Huang ran over to Duke Long while holding the newly refined rank five Gu and spoke with a dazzling smile.

Duke Long slowly opened his eyes and took a glance at dream pillow Gu, he nodded his head slightly and said in a mild voice: “Not bad, not bad.”

Feng Jin Huang slightly pouted: “How can it only be not bad? Master, you don’t know how many times I failed in refining this Gu worm before succeeding this once. With this dream pillow Gu, mortal Gu Masters can enter dream realms if they sleep while laying their heads on it. It will be an enormous help to my Spirit Affinity House and the whole of Central Continent.”

Ever since Feng Jin Huang took Duke Long as her master, she had devoted herself to cultivating. Duke Long did not instruct her in cultivation, but taught her of the situation of the whole world and his experiences, expanding her vision and knowledge.

With Duke Long’s meticulous teaching, Feng Jin Huang was no longer the same as before, she now had a strategic vision and considered issues in terms of the overall view.

Feng Jin Huang’s dream pillow Gu seemed ordinary but because it was a mortal Gu, it could be used by most Gu Masters. As long as this Gu was mass-produced, Central Continent’s Gu Masters could easily enter their own dream realms and extract dream path Gu materials from them, gaining an early advantage in the great era.

This Gu was able to raise a whole region’s strategic dominance, its significance was beyond ordinary!

Duke Long, however, showed no surprise: “It is only natural for you to have such accomplishments. Huang Er, you are the future Great Dream Immortal Venerable…”

Before Duke Long finished speaking, Feng Jin Huang interrupted with a trace of discontent: “Alright, alright, you are saying this again. Are you saying that I obtained all these accomplishments only because I am the future Great Dream Immortal Venerable?”

Duke Long chuckled as he looked at Feng Jin Huang, suddenly changing the topic: “Huang Er, do you believe in fate?”

Feng Jin Huang’s brows furrowed: “Master, are you talking about fate Gu?”

Duke Long nodded: “Right, it is the fate Gu recorded in <<The Legends of Ren Zu>>, and also the fate Gu that Heavenly Court is about to restore completely.”

<<The Legends of Ren Zu>> stated that Ren Zu had spent enormous energy and effort to gather Gu materials, even sacrificing his own two hands to finally refine wealth Gu.

He brought his son, Blazing Glory Lightning Brilliance, and daughter, Myriad Gold Wondrous Essence, to the feathermen’s residence.

But strangely, all the feathermen had disappeared with no traces left.

“What’s going on?” Ren Zu was puzzled.

“That is because I arrived here, those feathermen are afraid of me, all of them ran away.” A black and white spider walked towards Ren Zu leisurely.

“Who are you?” Ren Zu asked.

The spider smiled: “Human, you have walked through the road I created in the Door of Life and Death, you still don’t know who I am? I am fate Gu.”

Myriad Gold Wondrous Essence added: “Fate Gu, you are not even the size of my palm, why would those feathermen fear you?”

Fate Gu chuckled: “Because they pursue freedom, but I, Fate, bind and restrict them.”

Blazing Glory Lightning Brilliance grumbled: “So your intention was the same as us. You are really a failure, not capturing even one featherman, while hindering us as well.”

Fate Gu laughed loudly: “Who said I failed? The feathermen are pursuing freedom, but what do they know? Their escape is only on the superficial level, I have already bound them. The road towards their freedom was all arranged by me, but they think they succeeded, not knowing anything. You are also the same, look at yourselves.”

Ren Zu, Blazing Glory Lightning Brilliance, and Myriad Gold Wondrous Essence looked at their bodies.

They discovered that white spider silk had stuck to their limbs and body for some unknown time.

They also discovered that not just themselves, even the surrounding flowers, grass, trees, rocks, water, everything was bound by the spider silk.

These spider silk gathered together to form into a spider web which spread out endlessly in the sight of Ren Zu and his children.

“This is the web that I weaved, it is called all-encompassing web. Everything in the world is bound by this web, to be arranged and controlled by me, Fate. Everyone you encountered and all the things that have happened are all controlled by me.” Fate Gu said.

Ren Zu and his children felt a chill in their hearts and began to struggle fiercely.

Fate Gu smiled: “It is useless, you cannot escape. Fate cannot be altered.”

Ren Zu glared at fate Gu furiously: “Oh Fate, why do you have to manipulate and toy with us? From what you said, all the hardships and misfortunes I encountered were all your doings. The loss of my children was also due to you!”

Fate Gu said calmly: “Human, I know you want to save your eldest son Verdant Great Sun, but he is already dead. Death is a necessary fate of humans, you simply cannot save him. Moreover, you want to rely on wealth Gu to save your daughter Boundless Forest Samsara, that is also impossible.”

As Fate willed, a thread of spider silk bound Ren Zu’s wealth Gu and dragged it in front of fate Gu.

“Release it, that is our Gu worm!” Blazing Glory Lightning Brilliance shouted.

Myriad Gold Wondrous Essence’s eyes reddened, sobbing: “Father sacrificed his own hands to painstakingly refine this wealth Gu. How dare you take it away?”

Ren Zu struggled fiercely, but the spider silk continued to become tighter, firmly binding them.

Fate Gu laughed loudly: “Life and death is decreed by fate, prosperity is up to heaven. Human, you are fated to be poor and menial, tormented and humiliated till you become insane, and in the end, you will also die. Although you refined wealth Gu, you don’t have the fate to enjoy it. If you are fated to be poor, even if you dug out gold, it will turn to copper, if you are fated to be rich, even if you pick up paper, it will turn to silk. All these things are under my control.”

Ren Zu, Blazing Glory Lightning Brilliance, and Myriad Gold Wondrous Essence started cursing fate Gu furiously.

Fate Gu was not the least bit angry, still carefree and at leisure: “Many have cursed me, but so what? Humans, no matter how you curse me, it won’t change anything.”

Fate Gu suddenly moved the spider silk, throwing Blazing Glory Lightning Brilliance and Myriad Gold Wondrous Essence far away, completely out of Ren Zu’s sight.

“My children!” Ren Zu howled.

Fate Gu said darkly: “Human, don’t blame me, this is your fate. Not just you, loneliness is the fate of every person. Even if they are your own children, they will not accompany you for life and will eventually leave you. Every encounter is temporary, separation is normality.”

Ren Zu, however, kept on struggling, but the more he struggled, the tighter the spider silk bound him.

Ren Zu felt an increasingly enormous pressure pushing him down to the point of suffocation.

He panted heavily, he gradually lost the strength to struggle.

Ren Zu started crying, tears rolling down his cheeks: “Why does my fate have to be so pitiful!”

Fate Gu was silent.

But at this time, a voice emerged from the depths of Ren Zu’s heart. The voice belonged to self Gu: “Human, believe in your own strength rather than blaming your fate!”

Ren Zu stopped crying as he suddenly realized: “Right, although I don’t have strength Gu, self Gu has taken a bite of strength Gu, I have my own strength now. Self Gu, I can only rely on you.”

Self Gu then erupted with a dazzling light as it attempted to break the spider silk.

Some spider silk was torn, but even more came to bind Ren Zu.

“My own strength is not enough?” Ren Zu was anxious: “Right, self Gu, you have also taken a bite of love Gu. If strength does not work, let us rely on love instead.”

Thereupon, self Gu let out a gentle light as it attempted to break the spider silk, but this also failed.

Fate Gu said: “Oh human, why can’t you understand? Love is a type of fate, I arranged it to make Verdant Great Sun fall in love with Desolate Ancient Moon, I also arranged it to make the rockman fall in love with Desolate Ancient Moon. I also arranged success and failure in their lives, so they eventually ended up dead.”

“No! No——!” Ren Zu screamed and bawled.

Fate Gu listened quietly.

Ren Zu gradually lost the strength to cry, he mumbled powerlessly: “I understand now, I know why the feathermen pursue freedom.”

Fate Gu smiled: “Human, you also want to pursue freedom?”

Ren Zu nodded: “Yes, if I have freedom, I will be no longer be bound by you.”

Fate Gu: “But look at those feathermen, even though they pursue freedom, aren’t they still under my control?”

Ren Zu shook his head: “My freedom is different from them. I will pursue absolute freedom.”

Fate Gu laughed loudly: “A person’s absolute freedom is insanity. Oh human, see for yourself, you are seeking freedom but you are actually moving towards insanity. I already said this earlier, you will lose your mind. That is the road I arranged for you, you cannot escape my control.”

“No! I don’t believe you! I will use my own strength and wisdom to obtain freedom. I don’t believe your words, I will escape your control!” Ren Zu retorted.

Fate Gu’s laughter became louder: “Oh human, you are truly going crazy, you are already deranged. Did you forget? Your self Gu has only taken a bite of strength Gu and love Gu, so you only have your own strength and love, but not your own wisdom. Oh human, when you think you are intelligent, it will be the sign that you are going crazy.”

“Hahaha, hahaha.” It was Ren Zu’s turn to laugh: “I don’t believe you, oh fate Gu, I don’t believe you! I don’t believe that this world has fate.”

Fate Gu was silent for a moment before saying: “Even if you don’t believe it, I will still exist.”

Ren Zu rebuked: “No, that is not true. When I stop believing in you, you will stop existing. I refuse to believe in fate, fate does not exist! Hahaha!”

Fate Gu shook its head, sighing: “Truly pitiful, oh human, you have already fallen into insanity.”

Ren Zu scratched his hair and skin, his tears and mucus mixed together, he struggled, he knelt on the ground as he rolled around.

It was like how Fate declared, he had become insane.

…

Time flew by rapidly as a scene of the past suddenly appeared in Duke Long’s mind.

A million years ago.

“Do you believe in fate?” Duke Long was standing and looking at his disciple warmly.

His disciple was only a youngster with a glossy forehead, handsome appearance and bright eyes. He had long black hair that reached his waist, there was a lifelike red lotus birthmark on his forehead.

Duke Long continued: “Red Lotus, you are the future Immortal Venerable, you will definitely lead us humans towards the greatest prosperity and glory. You will certainly succeed, creating your own Gu worms and techniques, you will become the pride of your parents, become invincible in the world, and your name shall be marked in history. You will join Heavenly Court, become the leader of humanity, and bring blessings to all beings, your glory will shine throughout time and space.”

Young Red Lotus blinked his eyes before smiling, exposing his dazzling teeth: “There does not seem to be anything bad with this. I believe in fate!”

Duke Long returned to reality after the slight trance.

He looked at Feng Jin Huang and said solemnly: “Huang Er, you need to understand that you are the future Great Dream Immortal Venerable who will surpass all the past venerables! You will create dream path and be invincible in the whole world. Your glory will shine and spread for ages, becoming the eternal symbol and support of humanity. Don’t fear, don’t hesitate, take each success to press forward indomitably until you reach the supreme peak of this world!”

Feng Jin Huang’s eyes got brighter and brighter as she listened. She smiled with unparalleled beauty.

Duke Long also smiled.

Feng Jin Huang said: “If all this is predestined by fate, then… I do not believe in fate!”

“What?” Duke Long’s smile froze on his face.