*Wuuu...*
Just as Quan Juehua was experiencing a long-forgotten surge of terror, unease, and the feeling that destiny was slipping beyond his grasp, Whale opened its maw and swallowed the branch of the Tree Universe drifting Between Being and Non-Being in a single gulp.
From that act alone, one could imagine just how colossal and astonishing Whale's size truly was.
After all, this branch of the Tree Universe was capable of holding countless worlds, yet before Whale, it was like a single blade of grass.
In truth, Whale's body had been constantly growing, expanding with every passing second. According to Whale's own thoughts, sooner or later it would grow to the point where it could swallow all kinds of infinite universes in one bite.
This was no mission, much less a wish—merely a small, wicked whim Whale indulged in before falling into slumber.
Yet for Quan Juehua, he was now living through the darkest hour of his life. After entering Whale's body, the branch of the Tree Universe began shrinking at a speed visible to the naked eye, like a block of ice placed inside a kiln.
At this moment, Quan Juehua was like a crocodile trapped in a drying African water hole, helplessly watching the drought evaporate the pool smaller and smaller, leaving less and less room to move, utterly powerless to stop it.
He released the energy within his body, trying to prop up the shrinking Tree Universe and keep it from contracting any further.
It was completely useless.
His energy, along with a portion of the Tree Universe, vanished into nothingness.
This was no longer a question of whether he could fight back; fundamentally, the option to resist did not even exist.
Quan Juehua's expression grew increasingly frantic, and he roared, "What on earth are you? What is your purpose? Come out!"
There was no reply.
The Tree Universe continued to shrink.
Quan Juehua exhausted every method and technique at his disposal, only to sink into profound despair. The disparity was simply too vast—the other party was an existence on an entirely different plane from him.
At this very moment, the thought of ending his own life even crossed his mind.
He had traversed the Tree Universe for countless eras, toying with innumerable geniuses and heroes in the palm of his hand. He was a man of pride; how could he endure being made a fool of by someone else?
Yet just as he raised his hand to blast his own brain and shatter his soul, he looked at his palm and hesitated for a brief moment.
His hand trembled harder and harder.
Only on the brink of death did he realize that he... feared death.
He was merely being toyed with. As long as he survived, he would still have a chance to turn the tables. What did it matter even if he had to act as a dog or a slave to the other party?
"..."
Quan Juehua suddenly let out a long, despairing sigh. He had never expected that only in this moment would he truly see himself for what he was—discovering that he was so cravenly attached to life and terrified of dying.
The water was truly too cold.
He had mocked all living beings for being weak and clinging to life; he had mocked heroes for lacking cunning; he had mocked geniuses for being useless. In the end, he was no different.
The branch of the Tree Universe continued to shrink, finally wrapping tightly around his entire body, like a deflating balloon clinging to the object inside.
Then he felt the Tree Universe continuing to contract, though the compressive force was not intense.
Finally, with a soft *pop*, the branch of the Tree Universe vanished entirely, and Quan Juehua felt as though he had stepped into an entirely new world.
He had believed death was certain, yet now he was floating in a world that was vast, pitch-black yet luminous, vacant yet substantial, where all things were motionless yet teeming with life.
Contradictory, yet unified.
Quan Juehua slowly raised his hand, pinching between his fingers two particles—one black, one white—both infinitely minuscule yet infinitely immense. Like a newborn infant, he gazed around at everything in astonishment.
These were the tiny black and white dots from Between Being and Non-Being, but right now they existed in a remarkably wondrous state.
The black particle and the white particle were colliding. The portions where they touched had already been annihilated, yet the parts that had not yet made contact continued to exist.
Quan Juehua reached his hand through the annihilated section, his brow arching slightly. That annihilated middle portion was neither 'Non-Being' nor 'Being,' but in an even more miraculous state—seeming to exist yet not exist, both negligible and present, appearing absent when thought present, yet appearing present when thought absent.
It defied all description and explanation.
Quan Juehua felt as if he were beholding a brand-new world.
Could it be that this place had no master, and he had simply arrived at some mysterious realm Between Being and Non-Being?
A stroke of fortune!
Thank goodness he had not acted rashly; thank goodness he had not rushed to take his own life!
A sudden wave of relief washed over Quan Juehua, and in his excitement he could not help bursting into loud laughter. His laughter quickly drew the attention of a certain being.
"Are you human?"
A voice that was neither distinctly male nor female suddenly rang out.
Quan Juehua was instantly jolted alert. He then watched as countless particles in the void coalesced into a small black-and-white sphere.
The shape of the sphere shifted, first into an irregular lump of dough, then slowly molding itself into the silhouette of a human figure, finally turning into a voluptuous woman whose skin was as fair and tender as milk.
It was stark naked, without a single blemish anywhere on its body. Yet it had no eyes; its nose had an outline, but no nostrils; its mouth had lips, but was not a mouth in any real sense; its chest was prominent, but lacked nipples capable of nursing offspring, to say nothing of organs for reproduction.
This form was exceedingly beautiful, yet profoundly eerie—resembling a human, but definitively non-human.
"What kind of creature are you?" Quan Juehua asked warily, staring at the woman before him.
"A name?"
"I don't have a name, but I can make one up."
"Let's go with... Dui Tianji. What do you think, human?"
The woman's lips did not move; the voice emanated from its entire form, still carrying no distinction of gender.
"Dui Tianji?"
"You are reading my memories?"
Quan Juehua's expression instantly darkened, tinged with anger.
No wonder it had taken on this form, bearing such a striking resemblance to that person in his memory. It turned out his memories had been stolen without his knowledge.
Dui Tianji, formerly named Meng Changxi, Palace Master of the Lunar Divine Palace, had also once been the white moonlight in Quan Juehua's heart.
Only in the end, in order to attain immortality, he had slain Dui Tianji with his own hands. Even now, whenever he looked back on it, he could hardly tell whether he truly regretted it.
"Memories? Are they important?" Dui Tianji asked in return, utterly indifferent to Quan Juehua's fury.
"Hmph!"
Quan Juehua gave a cold snort and immediately turned to leave.
Had he not just arrived in this unfamiliar place and remained uncertain of the entity's strength, he would have struck long ago.
Right now, the most critical task was to comprehend the principles and laws of this wondrous space to see if he could gain any enlightenment. As for the unknown being that had copied his memories, he would have ample time and opportunity to take action later.
Yet although he wished to leave, Dui Tianji had no intention of letting him go.
Wherever he went, Dui Tianji followed. At first, Dui Tianji said nothing, but after several days—or perhaps several months, or even several years—it suddenly asked, "Do you yearn for transcendence?"
"And what if I do?" Quan Juehua countered.
Dui Tianji replied, "Transcendence is impossible for you, because your fate is cursed with the Five Banes and Three Deficiencies. You were born to bring ruin upon your father and mother; you severed your own karmic ties with your own hands; every spiritual spark across the myriad heavens and worlds detests you; you are destined never to have any offspring or descendants. Therefore, you are bound forever to be wifeless, widowed, orphaned, solitary, and disabled—and deficient in wealth, deficient in lifespan, and deficient in power!"
"Pure nonsense!"
Quan Juehua did not believe a single word Dui Tianji spoke.
Chapter 676