I changed the world.

Page 267

"boom!!!!"

However, just as he was about to leap off the cliff, a rapid whooshing sound came from mid-air, followed by a bolt of lightning that shot downwards. With a roar, an object fell from the sky and landed between Guan Pingze and Na Danjiao!

It was a sword crackling with lightning!

Chapter 508 Seeking Immortals, Part 11

"You monster! You're going to harm people again!" A familiar child's voice rang in his ears. Guan Zeping looked around as if he had been granted a pardon, but he couldn't see anyone.

That Danjiao, however, clearly no longer had the cat-and-mouse attitude it had shown earlier. It looked up at the sky and hissed, "So what if Dan Ding Mountain has sealed me away for a thousand years?! Heh heh, there's no point in saying more. Today, with Chi Xuzi not around, I'm determined to devour this Taoist priest!"

"Boom!!!" The next moment, Guan Zeping felt a blur before his eyes, and the costume on the female lead suddenly opened up, like tentacles reaching out and sweeping towards him.

In the blink of an eye, before he could even react, a beam of light shot up from the longsword before him, followed by a sharp sensation as if it were about to pierce his skin. This made him, who knew nothing about what was happening before him, subconsciously think of one word—"sword energy".

The next moment, a deafening roar erupted, and shockwaves shot out in all directions. Guan Zeping felt as if he had become a weightless piece of driftwood, violently thrown away...

He let out a gasp involuntarily. Guan Zeping's mind was completely blank at that moment. He was relying entirely on instinct to wave his hands and try to grab something to keep the pillar stable.

Perhaps it was divine protection, but he managed to grab onto a pine tree trunk lying across the edge of the cliff. Grasping at this lifeline, Guan Zeping instinctively clung tightly to the pine tree, which was about the thickness of his thigh. He didn't care about his tattered clothes, which were already torn to shreds. He practically wrapped his arms and legs around the tree. Despite the violent shaking of the trunk, he managed to hold on like a koala!

At this moment, glancing ahead out of the corner of my eye, I saw the long sword that had just been stuck in front of me now soaring into the sky again. Then it multiplied into two, two into four, four into eight, subtly corresponding to the eight directions of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), pinning down the eight directions around the monster: Qian, Dui, Li, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Gen, and Kun...

At that moment, a powerful black aura, so strong it was visible to the naked eye, burst forth from the female lead in the opera costume. Even with the eyes of an ordinary person like Guan Zeping, one could see a huge, twisted shadow, tens of feet tall, appearing behind him. The shadow vaguely showed two horns on its head. Although it was kneeling on the ground, a ferocious and evil aura rose up.

The twisted figure was bound by countless chains. These bronze chains, seemingly illusory yet real, pierced through multiple parts of its body, with the other end disappearing into the ground, firmly binding the monster.

The enormous phantom was now in a state of furious struggle, and at the same time it stretched out an arm to grab Guan Zeping's position, straightening the chains that were binding it!

Guan Zeping was horrified. At the same time, after staring at the phantom for only a breath or two, he felt a strong sense of unease. He could even hear the grating, rubbing, and colliding sounds of chains in the void, and he could hear some kind of distorted language murmuring in his ears. His heart suddenly raced, and a feeling of wanting to vomit followed...

Guan Zeping was horrified. A surge of heat was spreading uncontrollably through his groin. However, at this moment, he had no other choice but to cling to the violently shaking pine tree.

His lack of exercise made even hugging a pine tree extremely difficult. Adrenaline was surging, squeezing out some of his body's potential to some extent, but that was all.

He stared in horror at the giant hand reaching towards him, which was clearly resisting the pull of the chains. It wasn't moving fast, but it was getting closer and closer...

Guan Zeping felt like he was suffocating. He closed his eyes and gasped for breath. His increasingly rapid heartbeat and physical discomfort made him subconsciously feel that if he looked directly at that phantom again, his heart might not be able to take it before the hand even grabbed him...

Shortly after, another loud roar echoed in his ears, followed by the ear-piercing clatter of chains stretched to their limit and metal rings rubbing against each other. Then came a piercing roar, filled with anger, resentment, and pain, assaulting Guan Zeping's eardrums almost like a demonic incantation. His retina congested, and his vision blurred instantly…

Accompanying this was a powerful shockwave. The violent airflow hit him head-on, and Guan Zeping was thrown into the air with almost no resistance. The last scene he glimpsed before losing consciousness was the monstrous phantom being dragged down by chains wrapped with blue electricity, almost lying on the ground, yet still struggling...

"It's over..." The feeling of weightlessness made Guan Pingze think to himself.

His body suddenly felt heavy, as if he were being entangled by something. However, his consciousness was so overwhelmed that he could no longer accurately assess his own condition.

The next moment, Guan Zeping's thoughts were completely plunged into darkness...

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Just a few hundred meters away from where Guan Zeping was, on a mountain rock shrouded in mist, stood two figures quietly.

This cliff, known locally as Chaotianyan (Facing the Sky Rock), is a steep and precipitous peak. This massive columnar rock formation is surrounded by almost 90-degree right-angled rock walls, making it difficult to climb except by professional rock climbers. It is also the highest point in the surrounding mountains, offering panoramic views from its summit.

Standing atop the rock were Zhang Jing and Zhang Taihe, their vision completely unobstructed by the swirling mist as they quietly observed the series of events unfolding in the distance where Guan Zeping was...

In fact, the scene before us was orchestrated by Zhang Jing and Zhang Taihe. Dan Ding Mountain is a sacred place of the Xuanmen (Taoist sect), and the influence of the Celestial Master's Mansion within the Xuanmen is of paramount importance. Now that Dinghai Yunxiao Mountain has initially established its persona, it is time for the Celestial Master's Mansion to begin making its move...

With the development of various secret realms and the discovery of ancient treasures and relics, Zhang Jing now has a growing understanding of the events that occurred in ancient times. It's like collecting pieces of a jigsaw puzzle; the more pieces he collects, the more complete his understanding of the whole puzzle becomes.

Meanwhile, as Zhang Jing delved deeper into the rules of the wishing book, he was able to confirm that even without his appearance, a series of strange events would still gradually occur in this world in the near future, and these events would appear more and more frequently in the sight of humans in this world as some kind of seal was lifted.

What he was certain of was that this world, which seemed similar to his previous life, actually had some huge differences in its rules, apart from the differences in certain timelines.

Chapter 509 Seeking Immortals Twelve

During the initial period of using the Wish Book, Zhang Jing repeatedly pondered a question: Did the ancient secrets and extraordinary powers that once existed in this world change because of his arrival and the Wish Book? Or did they already exist, and he simply unearthed them because of the Wish Book?

For Zhang Jing, the two have completely different meanings. The former is not only equivalent to weaving a completely non-existent historical line, but also changes the underlying rules of the world because of this non-existent historical line. If the world he lived in before his transmigration was a materialistic world that leaned towards technology, after arriving in this world and making a series of wishes using the wishing book, the underlying rules of this world are increasingly developing in a mystical direction.

If it is the latter, then the wishing book merely uses certain historical secrets to be revealed to oneself through certain coincidences.

By now, after repeatedly examining and observing the characteristics of the Wish Book, Zhang Jing is certain that the Wish Book did not directly change the world. Zhang Jing is certain that if the essence of this world did not have those supernatural powers, then to create this entire system of rules through the Wish Book, and at the same time create a long historical line and many secrets attached to it, the initial number of wish points he would need to spend would be absolutely insufficient, even if it were ten times more.

What is certain is that there was once a hidden historical timeline in the history of this world, in which there was a struggle between humans and gods that lasted for thousands of years. In the end, for reasons unknown, the dominant human forces completely withdrew from this planet.

Interestingly, in the ancient legends of this world, whether in the East or the West, there exist legends similar to Zhang Jing's previous life on Earth about the "Great Flood".

Especially in Western legends, the saint Isaiah, inspired by God, built a giant ark to preserve the seeds of all things...

This myth, which many people now dismiss as nonsense, seems to Zhang Jing more like a veiled description of a prehistoric mass evacuation.

Furthermore, as Zhang Jing gained a deeper understanding of extraordinary powers and the world's religions, he also developed a strange feeling: the world's mainstream religions seemed to have some inexplicable and strange connection with the power systems of ancient times.

Although, over time, major religions have undergone tremendous changes from their original forms, Zhang Jing, as a discerning individual, still managed to discern some faint traces of their origins in terms of terminology, mythology, rituals, and other aspects.

He also had his own speculations about this. As the saying goes, "A wild goose leaves a trace as it flies, and the wind leaves a sound as it passes." Could these ancient religious sects be the last traces of those once glorious prehistoric civilizations? However, in the process of passing down from generation to generation, and in the long period of time when supernatural powers disappeared, they have changed beyond recognition.

Furthermore, Zhang Jing was certain that before their final departure, those prehistoric powerful beings had set up some powerful seals, sealing off the extraordinary powers of Earth and the surrounding areas.

On the Earth Zhang Jing lived on before his time travel, various nations and ethnic groups had their own legends about the separation of humans and gods in ancient times. These included the Western legends of "Expulsion from Eden" and "Tower of Babel," and the Eastern legend of "Severing the Connection Between Heaven and Earth," among others.

What's intriguing is that Zhang Jing also has similar legends in many other historical tales around the world, which seems to confirm, from a certain perspective, a period of history that once existed in ancient times.

As his power and knowledge continued to grow, Zhang Jing was able to clearly perceive how much power it would take to seal off a star system or even a wider region for thousands of years, completely severing its connection with the void and turning it into an isolated island-like existence.

What's particularly despairing is that this is essentially a suicidal choice, because severing the connection with the void, from another perspective, also signifies the severing of the world's lineage. Cultivators will no longer be able to use extraordinary powers through their connection with the void. This is also the direct reason why extraordinary powers have become less prominent in later generations.

To some extent, this was probably the biggest reason why the major sects ultimately decided to leave Earth.

Therefore, Zhang Jing could easily deduce that forcing human cultivators at that time to make such a choice must have been an extremely helpless act out of necessity.

Therefore, although Zhang Jing had been wondering what kind of event this was, since it was closely related to the fate of the Earth and his own, he was not in a hurry to use the Book of Wishes to find out. After all, with his current abilities, he believed that he was completely incapable of handling an event that was definitely above the level of a god.

In today's world, some information, even simply "known," can lead to enormous and unpredictable risks. Furthermore, Zhang Jing has another layer of thought: possessing the "Wish Book," he has discovered that, in certain situations, "knowing" and "not knowing" are, to some extent, a Schrödinger's cat-like state. That is, for the "Wish Book," changing the unknown is far less difficult than changing known events. This is because the former offers more room for manipulation, while the latter requires "distorting" the known. This is clearly evident from the wish points he has consumed in his numerous wishes so far.

However, although he did not immediately set out to unravel this secret, Zhang Jing always regarded it as a Damocles' sword hanging over his own head and even over humanity, maintaining a high degree of vigilance.

To this day, Zhang Jing is still unsure of the exact duration of the massive barrier erected by those ancestors. However, based on his discussion with Zhang Taihe, he speculates that this barrier, which dates back at least five thousand years, must have already reached some kind of critical state.

Of course, if it weren't for certain "variables" brought about by Zhang Jing's wish, perhaps this sealing power could have lasted for decades or even centuries. But that's all there is to it. Even without Zhang Jing, this world would still be entering an era of "extraordinary arrival" in the not-too-distant future. At the same time, without Zhang Jing, the suffering this world would have endured in the face of such an era, without any solutions or guidance, would have been far greater than it is now.

Chapter 510 Seeking Immortals Thirteen

Since arriving in this world, Zhang Jing has never given up his efforts to gain a deeper understanding of it. Especially after using the Wish Book for the first time, he intensified his efforts to collect and interpret current events. Although he had previously relied mostly on public news channels and couldn't obtain firsthand, confidential information from high-ranking officials in various countries, he could still learn about the reactions of different nations to certain events through policy announcements and news releases.

As an insider, and even a participant in some events, he could clearly sense that the leaders of various countries in this world were not fools; they too would become wary due to the increasing number of supernatural events recently. Furthermore, after overcoming the initial stage of suspicion, various countries began to pour resources into this area, as evidenced by seemingly ordinary diplomatic visits, departmental reorganizations, and personnel appointments in the news.

All of this also meant that Zhang Jing needed to accelerate his strategic planning. Zhang Jing and Zhang Taihe had repeatedly analyzed the current situation. The current state of the supernatural world had clearly attracted the attention of various countries, and even some influential figures or groups close to the top levels of various countries had begun to realize the unusual activity in this regard. However, overall, everything was still on the eve of a major transformation. Whether out of consideration for stability or out of a desire to protect their own knowledge, most countries were concealing the data and information they had obtained. This, to some extent, slowed down the development of the situation, making information about the supernatural world, in some cases, a black box due to the deliberate concealment by various countries.

In particular, the current international environment and public opinion are compounded by the significant breakthroughs in space technology, leading a considerable portion of public opinion to be steered towards the idea that a so-called "interstellar voyage" is about to begin. This makes it easier to suppress and manipulate public opinion regarding extraordinary events.

However, real society is not like that depicted in comics and novels, especially in modern society where media is ubiquitous and highly developed. Maintaining a secret that is already known to a considerable number of people for an extended period is extremely difficult. Therefore, according to Zhang Jing and Zhang Taihe's speculation, there is a very high probability that the extraordinary secret will inevitably become known to more and more people, potentially leading to a massive, tsunami-like cognitive shock to the human world.

For Zhang Jing, such an impact is both a danger and an opportunity.

The danger lies in the fact that, from the very beginning, as the de facto "law-abiding citizen," once Zhang Jing's identity is exposed, he will inevitably become the object of covetousness from all sides, and his life will never be peaceful.

This was also Zhang Jing's original intention in setting up a spectacular chess game.

A drop of water is only safe when it is hidden in the ocean. If there is a supernatural world, then even if its identity is exposed, it will not seem so unique.

For insurance purposes, he ultimately decided to start by "reshaping" the religion of this world, positioning the extraordinary world as the "mysterious" force behind the religion. If all goes well, according to his plan, the religious stories, myths, and countless "witness accounts" and "miracles" from ancient times to the present will become the most troublesome problems for the investigators, enough to make it impossible for those with good intentions to distinguish between truth and falsehood.

Even if there are some flaws in this plan, they can be made to make sense by the imagination of those involved.

After all, once the seed of doubt is planted, many historical figures and legends will be subject to numerous speculations and interpretations...

Based on the information Zhang Jing currently possesses, what he truly needs to construct is a hidden history that existed behind the world for thousands of years, from the departure of those ancient ancestors until the lifting of the seal.

If he weaves it cleverly enough and has plenty of supporting evidence, then it will be a true and factual history.

Under such circumstances, Zhang Jing, as a disciple of the Kunlun Sect, would truly reach a point where no one would dare to provoke him even if his identity were exposed, and he would even be treated as an honored guest.

And the opportunity lies in this: as long as the narrative constructed by Zhang Jing can be accepted by all parties, then to some extent, Zhang Jing will become a pivotal figure who can influence the future of humanity.

Of course, in his heart, Zhang Jing was not the kind of person with great ambition, nor did he intend to use methods that crossed the line too much to achieve his goals.

Even so, he could recall some evil spells that had appeared in fantasy works from his past life. If he could obtain them through a wishing book, he should be able to control this world more quickly and thoroughly. However, there were some methods he did not intend to use.

In particular, as his cultivation improved, he also had some vague insights that prevented him from crossing certain bottom lines in his heart.

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The mountains were chilly at night, especially the top of Chaotian Rock, which offered no shelter and was made extremely difficult for ordinary people to endure by the biting mountain winds.

However, Zhang Jing and Zhang Taihe remained unmoved by the chill, their gazes piercing through layers of mist as they carefully observed the changes in the forest below. Those experiences that made Guan Zeping feel like he was on the brink of death were, in essence, a drama orchestrated by paper puppets and illusionary light and shadow.

After a while, Zhang Jing turned his head and looked at Zhang Taihe. He nodded slightly, and the next moment, Zhang Taihe's figure disappeared from his side.

A moment later, the sky suddenly brightened. Zhang Jing looked up and saw that the clouds overhead were beginning to gather from all sides, growing thicker and thicker. Blue currents surged within the clouds. At that moment, the mountain winds suddenly intensified, and the branches and leaves of the surrounding trees rustled loudly...

The clouds in the sky gathered more and more, and an imposing aura of darkness loomed over Zhang Jing's head.

"Boom!!!!"

A flash of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a deep rumble! Then came a second...

"boom!!!!"