Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

That night, past midnight, Shen Mo sat alone in the study of the side hall, his desk piled high with ancient documents he had brought back from Wanfayuan.

These ancient texts are made of various materials, including tortoise shells, animal hides, bamboo slips, and, more often, jade slips that are imbued with spiritual energy but riddled with cracks.

The content is extensive, covering ancient geography, incomplete prescriptions for elixirs, basic explanations of formations, and even some vague travelogues and miscellaneous writings.

Organizing these materials is not only to enrich the sect's foundation, but also a way for Shen Mo to try to find clues from historical fragments.

He brushed his fingertips across a dull, black jade slip, his divine sense probing into it thread by thread.

The runes inside the jade slip were severely damaged, and the information was fragmented. Only fragments about some kind of "starfall ritual" could be barely discerned, which seemed to be related to the power of attracting stars, but the specific method was no longer verifiable.

"What a pity..." Shen Mo sighed softly, classifying the jade slip into the "to be repaired" category. Just as he was about to pick up the next one, his fingertips touched an extremely inconspicuous jade slip.

The jade slip was dusty and gray, with burn marks on the edges and even a few fine cracks on the surface. Its spiritual energy was so weak that it was almost imperceptible, as if it might shatter at any moment. Mixed in with a pile of jade slips that faintly shone with precious light, it looked completely out of place.

Shen Mo originally intended to sweep it into the waste pile, but as if by some strange twist of fate, he still separated a wisp of his divine sense and probed inside.

The space inside the jade slip was extremely unstable, filled with "turbulent currents" of divine consciousness, and the images were blurry, as if they were seen through a thick fog.

Only fragmented images could be vaguely seen: raging floods submerged the land, huge shadows swept across the sky, mountains collapsed, and flames raged... a scene of apocalypse.

The person recording the information seemed to be in a state of extreme fear and confusion, and the recording was fragmented and filled with a sense of despair.

Shen Mo frowned slightly, about to withdraw his divine sense, but just as the image was about to completely disappear, he captured an extremely brief freeze-frame.

It was a scene of broken walls and ruins, like a corner of the ruins of some magnificent palace. And on that mottled wall, a pattern was carved!

The design was not complicated; it was a simple circular emblem with two flowing arcs intersecting and rotating inside, forming a pattern that resembled both a vortex and flowing clouds.

Because the jade slip was damaged, the pattern was somewhat blurred, but the basic shape was still clearly discernible.

The moment Shen Mo saw the pattern, his pupils contracted sharply!

A chill ran up his spine without warning, instantly engulfing his entire body! He maintained the posture of holding the jade slip, but his whole body froze on the spot, as if a thunderclap had exploded in his mind!

This pattern... he knew it all too well!

It wasn't because he had seen it elsewhere, but because—this pattern was actually the "Flowing Cloud Emblem" that he personally designed back then in order to "create" a visible and tangible symbol of the founder for the Qingyun Sect!

At that time, the Qingyun Sect was newly established and its foundation was shallow. In order to unite people's hearts and make the existence of "Ancestor Liuyun", which he had woven step by step, seem more real, he needed a symbolic totem.

He remembered it clearly; it was a rainy night. He was on the stone wall of Lijian Cliff, facing the flowing clouds and the wind and rain, and inspired by the moment, he casually drew this pattern. It symbolizes "the ceaseless flow of clouds, following the natural way."

Later, this pattern was engraved on the sect tokens, the title pages of important books, and even on every Flowing Cloud Banner, becoming the symbol of the Qingyun Sect!

But... this jade slip comes from the Abyss of Ten Thousand Laws! It's an ancient secret realm that even Ancestor Liuyun might not have set foot in!

Its age is far beyond the founding time of the Qingyun Sect, and may even be older than the era in which the Flowing Cloud Ancestor lived!

How is this possible? How could a pattern "fabricated" by Shen Mo appear in the ruins image recorded on an ancient jade slip?!

Is it a coincidence? There are countless patterns in the world, so it's not surprising that some are similar.

Shen Mo forced himself to calm down, and his divine sense refocused, like the most precise carving knife, repeatedly "observing" the blurry emblem in the jade slip.

Every curve, every turn, possesses a unique charm, a spirit that seems simple yet contains endless variations…

It's not just similar! It's almost identical!

He closed his eyes, and every detail of when he had carved the "Flowing Clouds and Swirling Emblem" appeared clearly in his mind. Without reference or imitation, it was purely a matter of his heart following the movement of his brush, his intention merging with the clouds, and he completed it in one go.

He was certain that there was no other pattern like it in the cultivation world! Because it was a projection of his own mind!

Cold sweat silently soaked through Shen Mo's inner shirt.

He slowly put down the jade slip, as if it were a hot potato. He stood up, walked to the window, opened it, and let the cold night wind rush in, blowing his blue robe and hair. Outside the window, the sea of ​​clouds rose and fell, and the moonlight was cold and clear.

A tremendous sense of absurdity and unprecedented horror overwhelmed him like an icy tide.

"The story I made up... has come true?"

"Master Liuyun...could he really exist?"

"No... the timeline doesn't match. The jade slip is much older than the ancestor..."

"Could it be... that I unintentionally 'restored' some lost ancient emblem? But I clearly just did it casually..."

An even more unsettling thought surfaced uncontrollably: "Or perhaps... what I perceive as 'fabrication' is not creation at all, but rather... a kind of 'awakening'?"

"A resonance and representation of a 'truth' that has long existed but has been forgotten?"

He recalled the stone tablet choosing its master in the Abyss of Ten Thousand Laws, the source pearl recognizing its master, and those seemingly coincidental "myths coming true"... In the past, he only thought it was because his plan was brilliant, he was lucky enough, and he was guided by the source pearl.

But now, this jade slip, this emblem, is like a cold needle, piercing through all his self-justifications.

What if the legend of "Ancestor Liuyun" is not entirely fictional, but based on some forgotten ancient power? What if the connection between "Wanfayuan" and Qingyun Sect was not deliberately guided by him, but rather a kind of predetermined fate?

What if Shen Mo wasn't a genius weaver at all, but merely... a lucky one who accidentally touched the strings of history? Or... a tool?

This idea gave him an unprecedented sense of loss of control. He had always thought of himself as a chess player, meticulously planning and in control of everything.

But what if he himself is just a piece on the chessboard, and every move he makes is already part of a grander "script"?

"Sect Leader?" Su Xiao's slightly puzzled voice came from outside the study. She had noticed a very subtle disturbance in the spiritual energy within the study and had come to check on it with concern.

Shen Mo instantly suppressed all his emotions and turned around. His face had returned to its usual calm, but his eyes were more profound than ever before, like a bottomless, icy pool.

"Junior Sister Xiao, haven't you rested yet?" he asked in his usual tone.

"I just finished processing a few border messages." Su Xiao entered the study, keenly sensing that Shen Mo seemed somewhat different, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. "Sect Leader, you..."

"It's alright, it's just that consulting ancient texts is a bit mentally taxing." Shen Mo interrupted her, his gaze sweeping over the dusty jade slip on the table before naturally shifting away, as if it were just an insignificant trinket. "How's the situation at the border?"

Su Xiao's attention was diverted, and he reported: "The Lieyang Sect and Tianjian Sect have increased the frequency of border patrols by 30%, with frequent minor skirmishes, but all within a controllable range. The Xuanyin Sect members are acting suspiciously, seemingly searching for something."

"Furthermore... there's been vague news from the north that an envoy from Xuanzhou seems to have traveled south, but his purpose is unclear."

"Yes, keep an eye on it." Shen Mo nodded, pondered for a moment, and said, "Junior Sister Xiao, starting tomorrow, have a portion of the Shadow Guard secretly collect all symbols, emblems, and legends related to ancient sects and lost civilizations. The older the better, no matter how absurd they may seem."

"The key is... totems associated with images of clouds, whirlpools, and flow."

Su Xiao was slightly taken aback. Although she didn't understand why the sect leader was suddenly interested in this, she still agreed without hesitation: "Yes! I'll arrange it immediately."

"Go on, it's late, you should get some rest too," Shen Mo said gently.

Su Xiao bowed and withdrew, and the study returned to silence.

Shen Mo stood alone by the window, motionless for a long time. He picked up the gray jade slip again, his fingertips gently tracing its rough surface. His eyes were complex and difficult to decipher.

"Liuyun Xuanhui..." he murmured the name, as if he were truly getting to know it for the first time.

It turns out that he had been using fragments of "reality" to weave a "myth".

And he himself may have long been a part of this vast myth, unable to control his own destiny, or perhaps... destined to be so.