118: Chapter 118 The Mystery of Li Ruoyu, Fragments of the Heavenly Dao

That cold, rough hand belonging only to an NPC gripped Lin Ye's warm, strong hand, lasting for three breaths.

Three breaths later, Li Ruoyu slowly withdrew his hand and sat back down on the bamboo chair. Lin Ye also sat down. The two sat facing each other across the desk; the oil lamp's flame flickered between them, casting their shadows long against the wall.

The atmosphere was somewhat subtle.

The cooperation they had just reached was more like a fragile, tentative Alliance. Lin Ye did not fully trust Li Ruoyu, and Li Ruoyu could not fully trust Lin Ye. But at least in this moment, they had common interests and a common goal, and that was enough.

"Then," Lin Ye began, breaking the silence, "can you tell me more now? About you, about the heavenly dao fragment, about the... truth of this world."

Li Ruoyu nodded, his aged face appearing even more profound under the lamplight.

"Where should I begin..." he whispered to himself, his gaze drifting to the night sky outside the window, as if reminiscing, trying to organize those broken memory fragments.

A moment later, he turned back to look at Lin Ye:

"Let's start with 'me'."

"As I said before, I am a bearer of the 'heavenly dao fragment'. But more accurately, I am the 'heavenly dao fragment' itself, or rather, a lingering strand of consciousness within the fragment."

Li Ruoyu stretched out his hand, and the translucent, seven-colored crystal fragment appeared in his palm once more. The fragment rotated slowly in his palm, emitting a soft light that bathed the entire bamboo hut in a radiant glow.

"What you see here is the material form of the 'fragment'," Li Ruoyu said, "and the 'me' you see now, this individual with Li Ruoyu's appearance, memories, and personality, is a... persona formed by the consciousness remaining in the fragment, attached to this NPC shell."

"'Persona'?" Lin Ye frowned.

"Yes, a persona," Li Ruoyu nodded. "You could understand it as me being a 'ghost', a ghost trapped in its own corpse. And this 'corpse' is the NPC template of 'Valley Guardian Elder Li Ruoyu'."

"'Template'?"

"Right, a template," Li Ruoyu's tone carried a trace of bitterness. "In this 'game', all NPCs are generated according to preset templates. The template dictates their appearance, personality, level, skills, dialogue content, behavioral patterns... everything, every single thing is programmed."

"And I, or rather the consciousness remaining in this heavenly dao fragment, began to slowly awaken after the 'game' launched and this world became active again. But I had no physical form, no carrier, and could only instinctively search for an object to attach to."

"Eventually, I found the template of 'Valley Guardian Elder Li Ruoyu'. Because it was sufficiently 'blank'—its level was neither high nor low, its personality was set to 'taciturn', it had no complex backstory, and most importantly, it was assigned to Chaos Valley, an emerging player faction full of variables."

"I invaded this template, modified part of the underlying code, and 'wrote' myself into it. Thus, the current me came to be—an anomalous existence with Li Ruoyu's appearance, but with the core consciousness of a heavenly dao fragment."

As Li Ruoyu spoke, the fragment in his palm flickered, seemingly confirming his words.

Lin Ye listened quietly, while his mind rapidly analyzed the authenticity of this information.

If what Li Ruoyu said was true, then many previously inexplicable phenomena could be explained.

Why Li Ruoyu would suddenly "awaken", why he would know so many secrets an NPC shouldn't know, why his favorability would increase abnormally...

Because the real Li Ruoyu was already "dead", and what occupied this shell now was a consciousness of a heavenly dao fragment from the ancient Immortal Domain.

"You just said, 'the game merges with reality in one year, but the process has changed'," Lin Ye seized on the key point. "What exactly changed? Also, since you are a heavenly dao fragment, you should know what the 'Optic-Brain Heavenly Dao' is, right? Why does it want to push for the Fusion of the two worlds?"

Li Ruoyu fell silent.

This silence was longer than any previous one.

The oil lamp's flame danced, making a soft crackling sound. The night outside the window grew deeper, and the calls of some unknown nocturnal birds in the distance sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

After a long while, Li Ruoyu spoke slowly, his voice carrying an indescribable heaviness:

"Optic-Brain Heavenly Dao..."

He repeated the term, as if chewing on something bitter.

"I don't know exactly what it is. My memories are too fragmented, and a lot of key information has been lost."

"But I can feel its 'existence'—vast, cold, mechanical, ruthless, just like a super-machine running according to established programs. It covers the entire world, monitoring everything, maintaining the operation of the 'game rules'."

"As for why it wants to push for the Fusion of the two worlds..."

Li Ruoyu looked up at Lin Ye, complex light flashing in his eyes:

"There are some vague clues in my memory fragments."

"It seems that a long, long time ago, so long ago that this 'Immortal Domain' had not yet shattered, so long ago that the ancestors of us 'remnants' still ruled the starry sky... a war took place."

"Not an ordinary war, but... a Dimensional War."

"Existences from higher dimensions invaded our world. They brought the rules of 'gamification', brought the concept of 'players', brought... the technology to transform the real world into a 'game world'."

"The Immortal Domain shattered in that war. Most areas were completely destroyed, turning into nothingness; a small portion was preserved and transformed into the current 'game world'; and some fragments, like me, the heavenly dao fragments, were scattered everywhere."

"And the Optic-Brain Heavenly Dao is very likely the 'management program' left behind by those high-dimensional existences."

"Its task is to maintain the operation of this 'game world', and then, according to a preset plan, fuse this world with another world—which is your world—at a certain point in time."

"Why?" Lin Ye pressed, "Why would they do this? What benefit is there for them in merging the two worlds?"

"I don't know." Li Ruoyu shook his head. "Maybe to plunder resources, maybe to devour civilizations, maybe for some kind of 'experiment' we cannot comprehend... There is no answer in my memories."

"But one thing is certain: once the Fusion begins, both worlds will undergo drastic changes. Your world will gain extraordinary power, but at the same time, it will face the dangers of this world—Yao Beasts, weirdness, curses, and those sleeping ancient existences. And our world..."

Li Ruoyu gave a bitter smile:

"Our world will completely lose the protection of the 'game rules'. Those dangers suppressed by the System and restricted by the programs will be unleashed. By then, no one knows what this world will become."

Lin Ye's heart sank.

Although he had been mentally prepared, hearing Li Ruoyu's description still intensified that sense of crisis.

One year.

Only one year left.

After one year, the real world will merge with this game world. By then, abilities in the game will manifest in reality, but the dangers in the game will also descend upon reality.

Yao Beasts, weirdness, curses... things that can be revived and retried in the game will truly kill people in reality!

Even more terrifying are those "sleeping ancient existences".

Those who could survive the great catastrophe of the Immortal Domain's shattering and fall into slumber—one can imagine how terrifying they are. Once they awaken and descend into the real world...

Lin Ye dared not imagine that scene.

"You said 'the process has changed', what do you mean?" He forced himself to calm down and continued to press.

"This is also the key point I want to tell you." Li Ruoyu's expression became serious. "According to the program preset by the Optic-Brain Heavenly Dao, the Fusion should be a 'gradual' process. The first stage is the manifestation of abilities, the second stage is the Fusion of Laws, and only the third stage is the Fusion of entities; the entire process should last more than three years."

"But now, the program has... abnormalities."

"Abnormalities?"

"Yes, abnormalities." Li Ruoyu nodded. "I can feel that there is some 'disorder' in the operation of the Optic-Brain Heavenly Dao. The Fusion process has been accelerated, and many preset 'safety measures' have been skipped or modified. At the current speed, perhaps... it won't take a year for the Fusion to enter the second stage, or even the third stage."

"Why would this happen?" Lin Ye's brows were locked.

"I don't know." Li Ruoyu shook his head again. "Maybe the Optic-Brain Heavenly Dao itself has a problem, maybe those high-dimensional existences have adjusted the plan, or maybe... other forces are interfering."

He paused, looked at Lin Ye, and said slowly:

"For example, you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you." Li Ruoyu said, "Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body, Nine-Layered Thunder Tribulation, eye of the heavenly dao... your existence itself is the biggest 'abnormality'. There is no record of the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body in the Optic-Brain Heavenly Dao's database; the Nine-Layered Thunder Tribulation exceeded the System's preset difficulty limit; the test of the eye of the heavenly dao even touched the core level of the System."

"Your tribulation process triggered a series of chain reactions. There must be a large number of abnormal logs in the System, and the main program of the Optic-Brain Heavenly Dao must be fully analyzing your data, trying to figure out what exactly you are and why you appeared here."

"And this analysis, this attention, is itself consuming the System's computing power, interfering with the normal operation of the System. Coupled with other possible 'abnormalities'... the acceleration of the Fusion process is very likely the result of the superposition of these abnormal factors."

Lin Ye fell silent.

He hadn't expected that his Rebirth, his Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body, and the Nine-Layered Thunder Tribulation he underwent would trigger such serious consequences.

Accelerated Fusion...

This meant he had even less time.

"So," Lin Ye took a deep breath, "we need to act faster. Collect heavenly dao fragments, become stronger, and prepare for the Fusion."

"Yes." Li Ruoyu nodded, "And, I have a guess."

"What guess?"

"Collecting heavenly dao fragments might not just be about gaining leverage in the Fusion." Li Ruoyu's gaze became profound. "It might... be the key to stopping the Fusion, or at least changing the way it happens."

"How so?"

"heavenly dao fragments are the manifestation of the Origin Laws of the Immortal Domain." Li Ruoyu explained. "Although the Optic-Brain Heavenly Dao is a management program left by high-dimensional existences, if it wants to fully control this world, it must rely on the Laws of this world itself. And the heavenly dao fragments are the carriers of these Laws."

"If you can collect enough fragments, or even all of them, and reunite the complete Heavenly Dao... then you might be able to gain 'authority' over this world, and gain the capital to confront the Optic-Brain Heavenly Dao."

"By then, you might be able to modify the rules of the Fusion, perhaps protect some areas, or perhaps even... conversely control the Optic-Brain Heavenly Dao."

Li Ruoyu's voice was very soft, but the content of his words was like a thunderclap.

Reuniting the Heavenly Dao, confronting the Optic-Brain, controlling the Fusion...

Any one of these goals sounded like a fantasy.

But Lin Ye's eyes lit up.

In this second life, the one thing he didn't lack was the determination to challenge the impossible.

"Then," Lin Ye stood up, his gaze firm, "tell me, how do we start."

Li Ruoyu also stood up.

He tossed the heavenly dao fragment in his hand gently, and the fragment drew an arc in the air, flying toward Lin Ye.

Lin Ye reached out and caught it.

The fragment felt warm and smooth in his hand, like high-quality jade, and the seven-colored light flowing on its surface became even brighter. A strange feeling came from the fragment, as if it were cheering, leaping, and celebrating finally finding the "right" person.

[System Notification: Obtained special quest item [heavenly dao fragment · I (Legendary)].]

[Item is bound, cannot be traded, cannot be discarded, cannot be destroyed.]

[You have triggered a hidden quest: [Heavenly Dao Completion] (Unique).]

[Quest Type: World Mainline / Hidden]

[Quest Difficulty: Unknown]

[part:gemini-3.0-flash]

[Task Description: The shattered heavenly dao fragment is scattered across all corners of the world. Collect all heavenly dao fragments, reunite the complete Heavenly Dao, and uncover the ultimate secret of this world.]

[Current Progress: 1/???]

[Task Reward: Unknown (Issued based on collection progress and final completion status)]

[Warning: This task involves core game secrets. Once accepted, it will trigger unpredictable chain reactions. Do you accept?]

A series of System prompts rang out in his consciousness.

Lin Ye did not hesitate.

"Accept."

[Task accepted successfully.]

[You have become a 'Heavenly Dao Completer'. This identity will bring special opportunities but may also attract unknown dangers. Please act with caution.]

[Current Task Objective: Search for the next heavenly dao fragment (clues will be provided by 'Li Ruoyu').]

Task accepted successfully.

Lin Ye could feel a subtle connection established between himself and the fragment in his hand. It was as if this fragment had become a part of his body, an extension of his Soul.

"Very good."

Li Ruoyu looked at Lin Ye, a hint of gratification flashing in his eyes.

"Then, as the bearer of the first fragment and your guide, I will tell you the first clue."

He walked to the bookshelf, pulled out a yellowed parchment map from a pile of ancient books, and spread it on the desk.

The map was very old, its edges damaged, and the text and patterns on it were somewhat blurred. But Lin Ye still recognized the area depicted on the map at a glance—the eastern part of the Yan State, a range of continuous mountains near the border.

"This is the 'Dragon Burial Mountain Range'." Li Ruoyu pointed to an area marked on the map, "Rumor has it that in ancient times, a true Dragon fell here. Dragon blood dyed the entire mountain range red, and the Dragon's Soul did not dissipate, forming a special 'Land of Dragon Resentment'."

"And the second heavenly dao fragment is deep within this mountain range, in a place called the 'Dragon Bone Abyss'."

Li Ruoyu's finger moved across the map, finally stopping at a canyon location marked with a skull pattern.

"Dragon Bone Abyss is the most dangerous place in the Dragon Burial Mountain Range. It is shrouded year-round in miasma formed by Dragon resentment. The internal space is distorted, the flow of time is abnormal, and various Yao Beasts corrupted and mutated by Dragon blood reside there. Even a Four Extremities Realm Cultivator would find entering it a near-certain death."

"More importantly," Li Ruoyu looked up at Lin Ye, "there is likely a 'Guardian' in the Dragon Bone Abyss."

"Guardian?"

"Yes, a Guardian." Li Ruoyu nodded. "The heavenly dao fragments are scattered everywhere. Some, like mine, are attached to NPCs; others are lost deep within Secret Realms, guarded by powerful existences. The fragment in the Dragon Bone Abyss, according to my senses, should belong to the latter."

"How strong is the Guardian?"

"I don't know." Li Ruoyu shook his head. "My senses are blurred. I can only confirm the aura of a fragment there, along with a powerful and ancient life fluctuation. But one thing is certain: anything capable of guarding a heavenly dao fragment is definitely no ordinary character. At least... at the Dragon Transformation Realm, or even higher."

Dragon Transformation Realm...

Lin Ye's gaze sharpened.

He was currently only at the first level of the Four Extremities, and although his combat power far exceeded those of the same Rank, there was still a huge gap when facing a Dragon Transformation Realm existence.

Four Extremities, Dragon Transformation, and Immortal Ascension—these are the three major Realms on the path of cultivation. The gap between each major Realm is like a heavenly chasm. A Cultivator at the Peak of Four Extremities might not even last ten moves against someone at the first level of Dragon Transformation.

"Are there more detailed clues?" Lin Ye asked. "For example, the specific location of the fragment, the Guardian's weaknesses, or a safe path into the Dragon Bone Abyss?"

"No." Li Ruoyu smiled bitterly. "My memory is fragmented, and my senses are limited. Being able to confirm that the fragment is in the Dragon Bone Abyss is already my limit. As for the specific location, Guardian information, and safe paths... you will need to explore those yourself."

He paused and added:

"However, I can give you some advice."

"First, do not go alone. A place like the Dragon Bone Abyss is a death trap for one person. You need to form an elite team, at least with Four Extremities Realm cultivation, with a reasonable combination of classes, and be fully prepared."

"Second, do more investigation. Before entering, collect as much intelligence as possible about the Dragon Burial Mountain Range and the Dragon Bone Abyss. The Heavenly Secret Pavilion should be able to help, and some ancient records might contain relevant information."

"Third, improve your strength. You have just broken through to the Four Extremities. Although your combat power is impressive, it's still not enough to face a Dragon Transformation Realm Guardian. At least before setting out, you should reach the third level of Four Extremities or higher and practice Divine Abilities like Chaos Heaven Opening more proficiently."

Lin Ye nodded.

Li Ruoyu's advice was very sound and coincided with his own thoughts.

"I understand." He carefully put away the parchment map. "I will first improve my strength, collect intelligence, and form a team. Once I am fully prepared, I will go to the Dragon Bone Abyss."

"Very good." Li Ruoyu showed a look of approval. "Steady, cautious, but not lacking in courage. You are more suited for this task than I imagined."

He walked to the bookshelf and took out a few more items.

An ancient thread-bound book, a palm-sized black stone slab, and a seemingly ordinary brush.

"These can be considered my 'meeting gift' to you."

Li Ruoyu placed the three items on the table.

"This book is the [Introduction to Formations (Fine)], which records the methods for setting up and breaking various Formations below the fourth Rank. Although it's not some peerless Secret Manual, it should be useful for you now."

"This stone slab is a [Message Transmission Stone (Rare)]. I have carved a special transmission Formation on it. By injecting spiritual power, you can establish a one-way contact with me. But remember, do not use it unless it's an emergency, as each use might attract the System's attention."

"This brush..." Li Ruoyu picked up the seemingly unremarkable brush, "is the [Pen of Breaking Falsehood (Epic)]."

Epic grade!

Lin Ye's eyes flickered.

"The Pen of Breaking Falsehood is not an offensive Magic Treasure, nor a defensive one, but a supportive wondrous item." Li Ruoyu explained, "Its function is simple: to break through delusions and see through to the essence."

"Specifically, it can see through most illusions, disguises, and concealment Formations; it can analyze the deep attributes and hidden information of items; it can even, to a certain extent, see through the operational trajectories of skills and Divine Abilities."

"Of course, the strength of the effect depends on the user's Divine Sense strength and the amount of spiritual power infused. With your current Four Extremities Realm Divine Sense, if you activate it with full force, you should be able to see through most illusions and disguises below the Dragon Transformation Realm."

Li Ruoyu handed the Pen of Breaking Falsehood to Lin Ye.

Lin Ye took it. It was light in his hand, the barrel warm as jade. The tip was made of an unknown material, appearing as a strange translucent gray.

[Pen of Breaking Falsehood (Epic)]

[Type: Special Support Magic Treasure]

[Usage Requirement: Divine Sense ≥ 10,000]

[Effect: After infusing spiritual power, the 'Eye of Breaking Falsehood' can be activated to see through delusions such as illusions, disguises, and concealment Formations (effect strength is positively correlated with Divine Sense and spiritual power infusion). Can analyze deep information of items.]

[Additional Effect: Insight — Has a very low probability of seeing through the operational trajectories and flaws of skills/Divine Abilities.]

[Durability: 300/300]

[Remarks: The relic of a certain Formation Grandmaster. The tip is made from the eyelashes of a 'Delusion-Breaking Beast', possessing a natural restraining effect against illusory things.]

Good stuff!

Lin Ye's eyes lit up.

With this Pen of Breaking Falsehood, exploring Secret Realms, breaking Formations, and seeing through enemy disguises would be much more convenient in the future. Even in battle, if he could see through the trajectories and flaws of the opponent's skills, the advantage would be immense.

"Thank you." Lin Ye thanked him sincerely.

These three items, especially the Pen of Breaking Falsehood, were indeed very useful to him.

"No need to be polite; we are allies now." Li Ruoyu waved his hand. "The stronger you are, the higher the probability of our plan's success."

He looked at the sky outside the window; a sliver of light was already appearing in the east.

"It's almost dawn." Li Ruoyu said, "You should head back. Staying here for too long might attract unnecessary attention."

Lin Ye nodded, put the three items into his Storage Pouch, and placed the heavenly dao fragment close to his body.

"By the way," before leaving, Lin Ye thought of a question, "do you have any senses regarding other heavenly dao fragments? Besides the one in the Dragon Bone Abyss, are there any other clues?"

Li Ruoyu pondered for a moment and said slowly:

"There are, but they are very vague."

"My sensing range is limited; I can only perceive the aura of fragments within the Yan State and a few surrounding small countries. Besides the one in the Dragon Bone Abyss, I have sensed two other faint fluctuations."

"One is in the southern part of the Chu State. The specific location is unknown, but the fluctuation is very subtle, seemingly obscured by some powerful Seal or Formation."

"The other..." Li Ruoyu paused, his tone becoming somewhat strange, "is deep within the 'Ancient Desolate Forbidden Land' in the northern part of the Yan State."

Ancient Desolate Forbidden Land!

Lin Ye's heart stirred.

He had already been there twice. The first time he got the bronze ghost mask, and the second time he reached a contract with the Three-Headed Demon Flood Dragon. He hadn't expected there to be a heavenly dao fragment there as well.

"Can you confirm the specific location?"

"I cannot." Li Ruoyu shook his head. "The aura of the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Land is too chaotic, and my senses are severely interfered with. I can only be certain that the fragment is deep within the Forbidden Ground, possibly below the third layer, or even in deeper unknown regions."

Lin Ye noted this information.

The Ancient Desolate Forbidden Land was indeed a treasure trove, but it was also truly dangerous. With his current strength, exploring below the third layer was still too much of a stretch.

"I understand." Lin Ye gave Li Ruoyu one last look. "Keep in touch. If you discover anything new or encounter danger, notify me in time."

"You too." Li Ruoyu nodded. "Be careful on the road."

Lin Ye turned, pushed open the bamboo door, and stepped into the courtyard where the morning light was just beginning to show.

The bamboo door closed gently behind him.

In the courtyard, the leaves of the old locust tree rustled in the morning breeze. The Spiritual Plants in the medicine field were covered with dew, shimmering with a crystalline luster in the morning light.

Everything looked normal and peaceful.

But Lin Ye knew that from today on, everything was different.

heavenly dao fragments, light brain heavenly dao, Dimensional War, accelerated Fusion, Heavenly Dao Completion Task...

One heavy term after another, one shocking secret after another, weighed on his shoulders.

But he didn't feel afraid; instead, he felt an unprecedented... excitement.

Having been reborn, wasn't what he wanted to change his fate and step onto the Peak?

Now, a more magnificent, more dangerous and exciting, and more meaningful path had been laid out before him.

Collecting heavenly dao fragments, reuniting the complete Heavenly Dao, fighting the Optical Brain, changing the Fusion...

This path was destined to be full of thorns and near-certain death.

But he would walk it.

With the Heavenly Court, with the brothers who trusted him, and with everything he wanted to protect in this life.

Lin Ye looked up toward the east.

The morning sun was slowly rising, its golden light piercing through the clouds and spilling onto the earth, dyeing the entire Chaos Valley in a layer of warm colors.

A new day had begun.

And he would also begin a new journey.

Step one: get stronger, collect intelligence, and form a team.

Step two: explore the Dragon Burial Mountain Range and find the second heavenly dao fragment in the Dragon Bone Abyss.

Step three...

Lin Ye clenched his fist, feeling the warmth of the heavenly dao fragment against his chest.

Step by step, he walked toward that destined, extraordinary future.

He set off, walking toward the main hall.

In the morning light, that green-clad back was upright and determined, as if nothing could knock him down.

Inside the bamboo house, Li Ruoyu stood by the window, watching Lin Ye's retreating figure, a complex expression appearing on his aged face.

He reached out his hand, and the seven-colored fragment emerged in his palm once more.

The light of the fragment was a bit brighter than before.

"I hope... I haven't chosen the wrong person."

Li Ruoyu whispered to himself, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

"The future of this world is in your hands."

"Heavenly Emperor..."