Legend says that in this world, there is a River of Time that sustains the flow of all things. By harnessing the power of the Spring and Autumn Cicada, one can swim against the current and return to the past.
Opinions on this rumor were divided. Many refused to believe it, while others remained skeptical.
Hardly anyone was truly certain.
Because every use of the Spring And Autumn Cicada demanded the ultimate sacrifice—surrendering one's life, sacrificing one's entire physical body and all of one's cultivation as the driving force.
The price was simply too exorbitant, and what made it even harder to accept was that even after paying with one's life, the outcome remained entirely unknown.
Even if someone managed to obtain the Spring and Autumn Cicada, they would never dare to use it on a whim.
What if the rumor were false, nothing more than a scam?
Had Fangyuan not been driven to a dead end, he would never have used it so recklessly.
Yet now, Fangyuan believed it completely.
Because the iron-clad reality lay right before his eyes, undeniable. He had indeed been reborn!
"It is only a pity for such a fine Gu Worm. Back then, it took an immense amount of effort, slaughtering hundreds of thousands of people, incurring the wrath of both men and gods, and enduring countless hardships just to refine it..." Fangyuan sighed inwardly. Though he had been reborn, the Spring and Autumn Cicada did not survive with him.
Man is the spirit of all living things, and Gu are the essence of heaven and earth.
Gu Worms were wondrous and countless. Some could only be used once or twice before completely dissipating, while others could be used repeatedly, provided they were not overused.
Perhaps the Spring and Autumn Cicada was simply a consumable-type Gu Worm that could only be used once.
"Even if it is gone, however, it can be refined again. If I could refine it in my past life, why couldn't I do the same in this one?" Despite his regret, a surge of ambition and bold spirit welled up in Fangyuan's heart.
Since he was able to be reborn, the loss of the Spring and Autumn Cicada was entirely acceptable.
Furthermore, he still carried a supreme treasure within him; he was by no means starting from zero.
This treasure was none other than his five hundred years of memories and experience.
His mind held countless treasures that remained unclaimed by anyone. It held major historical events that allowed him to easily grasp the currents of the past. It held countless figures—some were reclusive elders, others were prodigious talents, and some had not even been born yet. It also held the heavy trials of his arduous cultivation over these past five hundred years, alongside a wealth of combat experience.
Armed with these, he undoubtedly held the upper hand and the initiative. As long as he played his cards right, dominating the mortal realm and recreating the majestic demeanor of a demonic overlord would be an absolute breeze, and he could even go further to assault higher realms of power!
"So, how should I proceed..." Remaining exceptionally rational, Fangyuan quickly reined in his emotions, gazing out at the night rain outside his window as he fell into deep contemplation.
With just a moment's thought, a myriad of complex threads crowded his mind.
After pondering for a while, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper.
Five hundred years was, after all, a rather long time. Leaving aside the memories that had grown blurry and irretrievable, even those secret caches of treasure and immortal master opportunities he did remember—though numerous—were either located hundreds of thousands of miles away or required specific conditions and times to be unlocked.
"The most critical matter is cultivation. My Primeval Sea remains unopened, and I have yet to set foot on the path of a Gu Master. Right now, I am nothing more than an ordinary mortal! I must cultivate as quickly as possible, increase my cultivation, get ahead of history, seize every possible advantage, and reap enough benefits."
Moreover, without sufficient cultivation, many secret treasures could not even be digested if one managed to obtain them. Instead, they would only become hot potatoes, bringing disaster upon oneself for harboring such wealth.
The first hurdle standing directly before Fangyuan was cultivation.
He had to elevate his cultivation as swiftly as possible; if he dawdled the way he did in his previous life, he would miss every single opportunity.
"To elevate my cultivation quickly, I must rely on the family's resources. In my current state, I have zero capability to traverse these perilous mountains; even an ordinary wild boar could take my life. Once I reach the cultivation of a Rank Three Gu Master, I will have the basic ability to protect myself and travel across mountains and rivers in this world."
From the perspective of a demonic overlord forged through five hundred years of hardship, this Qingmao Mountain was truly far too small, and Gu Yue Village felt more like a cage.
Yet while a cage imprisons freedom, its sturdy walls often represent a certain kind of safety.
"Hmph, for the short term, I shall temporarily flex my muscles within this cage. Once I advance to a Rank Three Gu Master, I will leave this impoverished and remote backwater. Fortunately, tomorrow is the Awakening Ceremony, and shortly after that, I can officially begin my journey as a Gu Master."
At the mere thought of the Awakening Ceremony, long-sealed memories surfaced within the depths of Fangyuan's heart.
"Aptitude..." Gazing out the window, a cold sneer involuntarily escaped his lips.
Just then, the door was pushed open gently, and a young man walked in.
"Brother, why are you standing by the window letting the rain hit you?"
This youth had a slender build, slightly shorter than Fangyuan, and his facial features bore a striking resemblance to his.
Fangyuan turned his head to look at the youth, a flash of complicated emotions crossing his face.
"It's you, my twin brother." He raised his brow slightly, his expression returning to its usual aloofness.
Fangfang lowered his head, staring at the tips of his own shoes—this was his trademark posture. "Seeing that your window wasn't closed, Brother, I wanted to come in and close it quietly. Tomorrow is the Awakening Ceremony, and if Uncle and Auntie find out you're still awake this late, they'll likely worry."
He was not surprised by Fangyuan's coldness, for his older brother had always been this way ever since they were children.
Sometimes he would think that perhaps geniuses were simply extraordinary compared to ordinary people. Even though he and his brother shared exceptionally similar appearances, he himself was as mediocre as an ant.
Born from the same womb, why was Heaven so unfair? It bestowed upon his brother a diamond-like brilliance while making him as ordinary as a pebble.
Whenever anyone around him mentioned him, they would always say, "That's Fangyuan's younger brother."
Uncle and Auntie also frequently lectured him, telling him to learn from his older brother.
Even when looking in the mirror sometimes and staring at his own face, he would feel a sense of disgust!
These thoughts had festered for many years, accumulating deep within his heart like a massive boulder pressing down on his chest. With each passing year, Fangfang's head hung lower, and he grew increasingly taciturn.
"Worry..." At the thought of Uncle and Auntie, Fangyuan let out a silent, derisive scoff in his heart.
He remembered clearly that the parents of this body had both perished during a family mission, leaving him and his younger brother orphans when he was only three years old.
Under the guise of raising them, Uncle and Auntie had brazenly seized their parents' inheritance while treating him and his brother with extreme harshness.
Originally, as a transmigrator, he had planned to bide his time and keep a low profile. But the hardships of life forced Fangyuan to reveal a "talent" that far surpassed ordinary people.
So-called genius was, in reality, nothing more than the rationality of a mature soul combined with a few timeless Tang and Song poems from Earth.
Merely by showing off a sliver of skill in this manner, he was regarded as a prodigy and thrust into the spotlight. Under this external pressure, the young Fangyuan had no choice but to adopt a cold expression to mask and protect himself, minimizing the chances of exposing his true nature.
Over time, that cold indifference simply became his habitual expression.
Thus, Uncle and Auntie no longer dared to mistreat him and his brother; as they grew older and their prospects looked increasingly promising, their treatment improved as well.
Yet this was not out of love, but rather a form of investment.
How laughable it was that this younger brother of his had failed to see through the truth, remaining hoodwinked by Uncle and Auntie while harboring resentment toward him. Despite how obedient and honest the youth appeared right now, once his Grade A aptitude was measured in their memories, he would be heavily nurtured by the family, unleashing all his hidden hatred and jealousy, and would frequently target, make things difficult for, and suppress his own biological brother.
As for his own aptitude...
Heh, the highest he would test for was merely Grade C.
Fate always loved to play jokes.
Twins born from the same birth, yet the older brother possessed only Grade C aptitude while monopolizing the title of a genius for over a decade, whereas the younger brother remained obscure yet possessed Grade A heavenly talent.
The results of the Awakening Ceremony would completely shock the clan members and thoroughly flip the brothers' statuses and treatment.
The younger brother would soar into the heavens like a dormant dragon, while the older brother would fall to the earth like a fledgling phoenix.
What followed were repeated troubles inflicted by his younger brother, cold glances from Uncle and Auntie, and the disdain of the clan.
Did he hate it?
In his previous life, Fangyuan had hated it—hating his insufficient aptitude, hating the ruthlessness of the clan, and hating the injustice of fate.
Yet now, reviewing this journey with five hundred years of life experience, his heart remained undisturbed, completely devoid of hatred.
What was there to resent?
Putting himself in their shoes, he could understand his younger brother, his uncle and aunt, and even the righteous faction experts who besieged him five hundred years later.
The law of the jungle and the survival of the fittest were, after all, the very essence of this world.
Furthermore, everyone had their own aspirations, all contending for that sliver of heavenly chance. What was hard to understand about suppression and slaughter among rivals?
His five hundred years of experience had long since seen through all of this; in his heart, there was room only for the Great Dao of longevity.
If anyone dared to block him in this pursuit, regardless of who they were, it would simply be a battle to the death.
The wild ambition in his heart was too vast. Stepping onto this path meant he was destined to make enemies of the entire world, destined to walk alone, and destined to face endless trials of slaughter.
This was the realization forged from five hundred years of life.
"Revenge is not what I have in mind, nor has the path of the demonic ever known the word compromise." Thinking up to this point, Fangyuan couldn't help but chuckle softly. Turning his head to cast a faint glance at his younger brother, he said, "You may withdraw."
Fangfang felt a sudden stir in his heart, sensing that his brother's gaze was as sharp as an ice blade, seeming to pierce straight into the deepest recesses of his soul.
Under that gaze, he felt as naked as standing in the snow, stripped of any secrets whatsoever.
"Then see you tomorrow, Brother." Daring not to say another word, Fangfang slowly closed the bedroom door and retreated timidly.