"The Great Sage?!"
Chen Xu stood up from his chair and instantly teleported in front of the Black Knight.
"Is the Great Sage you're talking about the same one I know?"
The Sage Knight nodded slightly and replied.
"My Lord, the history of the Myriad Worlds is long, but only one person has ever been called the Great Sage."
"From the memories I've obtained, this Great Sage is indeed the one you know. The ancient worthy, the master who pushed the development of the transcendent systems of the Myriad Worlds, the founder of the Truth Library, and the Great Sage who observed the Myriad Worlds."
"It really is him, that stunning hero who spans the history of the Myriad Worlds. Since you've inherited his identity, I'll just call you the Sage from now on."
"I thank my Lord for the name."
The Sage bowed again, using a gesture that was slightly different from what Chen Xu usually saw. It was likely a etiquette popular in ancient times.
After the Myriad Worlds entered the era of transcendent prosperity, many ancient etiquettes were abandoned. Only a few old-fashioned divine systems still preserved the manners of the ancient era. Other ceremonial matters, like those obsolete transcendent systems, had been swept into the scrap heap of history.
"Sage, first tell me about the Dao principles that the Great Sage mastered, as well as his main skills and equipment. Why do I only perceive two Dao principles from you? One is Soul, and the other seems to be Insight."
"My Lord, your perception is correct. The Great Sage only comprehended two Dao principles. One is Insight, used to dissect all things, observe the world, and pursue the truth."
"The other is the Soul Dao principle, which was used to strengthen himself, making his own soul powerful so that he would have more energy to conduct various experiments."
"At the same time, a powerful soul could avoid many accidents, such as pollution when an experiment went out of control, or the backlash from certain experimental creatures."
"According to the memories I've obtained, the longest experiment this Great Sage conducted lasted for fifty-eight years and six months."
"During that period, he didn't rest for a single second, immersing himself entirely in the experiment. In that time, he suffered twenty-nine mental curses, seven rebellions from experimental subjects, and seventy-seven instances of his subordinate students undergoing aberrations."
"Experiments are inherently exhausting. If he hadn't comprehended the Soul Dao principle, I'm afraid the Great Sage wouldn't have been able to sustain such a long experiment."
"Soul and Insight... to be so pure? Was he truly single-mindedly pursuing the truth?"
"No, that's not right. Having the vision to pursue truth is useless without enough strength to protect oneself. Sage, besides the Dao principles, what about the other skills and equipment? Keep going."
The Sage Black Knight nodded again and responded to Chen Xu.
He took off his coarse cloth robe and placed it on the ground. His hands quickly formed seals as he cast a spell.
In the next second, the coarse robe actually split into several parts, each transforming into a living cloth-man.
They wriggled on the ground, seemingly adapting to their bodies and perceiving the external world.
Seeing this, Chen Xu's brow furrowed. This ability was somewhat similar to his Creation. No, it wasn't just similar; it was practically identical, just a lower-end version.
Creation used the power of the necrotic Dao principles to completely transform a creature. The skill the Sage Black Knight used was centered on the soul, mimicking the transformation process of Creation to produce a low-end version of a modified creature.
Seeing Chen Xu's thoughtful expression, the Sage Black Knight realized he had guessed the answer. He didn't keep him in suspense and spoke directly.
"My Lord, the Great Sage had no 'main' skills. If I had to name one, it would be Imitation—or rather, Replication."
"In his lifetime, there's no telling how many skills he mastered. The number of skills he held was likely far greater than the number currently hosted on the Undead Network."
"In the era when he was active, whenever a new transcendent system appeared, the Sage would visit the scene in person. After a period of time, he would master that system, adding many more skills to his library."
"The skill I just demonstrated was a bootleg skill the Sage learned after secretly observing the First Lord of the Undead following the birth of the Special World."
Chen Xu was somewhat puzzled by this.
He admitted that there was always someone better, and the Great Sage's comprehension was indeed peerless. But no matter how ridiculous it was, there was a limit that could not be ignored: Dao principles.
Skills below the Eternal Rank were not very difficult to replicate. Even Chen Xu could do it; it was just a matter of time. But skills at the Eternal Rank and above were applications of Dao principles. How did the Great Sage manage to replicate skills directly without comprehending the corresponding Dao principles?
Chen Xu looked at the Sage Black Knight and asked this question.
The Sage Black Knight first reached down and lightly grasped at the ground, merging the pieces of coarse cloth back into a robe. Then he spoke.
"My Lord, the Sage's replication all stems from his comprehension of the Soul Dao principle. Using the soul to derive ten thousand forms, it shares a similar philosophy with that teacher of yours on Blue Star."
"Soul derivation?"
"Yes."
Chen Xu hadn't expected that Zhang Jingping's Soul Particle Evolution Theory would actually clash with the philosophy of that Great Sage from the ancient era.
Could the end of the Soul Dao really be transforming one into ten thousand?
But that was a conversation for another time. The end of the Dao, the future of cultivation realms—these heavy topics were still too far away for him.
There was one more important thing right now, and that was to find out where the Great Sage was, or where he had fallen.
"Sage, since you've obtained the Great Sage's identity template, does that mean he has already fallen and completely vanished from the Myriad Worlds?"
Hearing Chen Xu's question, the Sage Black Knight was stunned for a moment. He folded his arms across his chest and rubbed his chin with his right hand, pacing back and forth in the hall.
Seeing the Sage Black Knight suddenly fall silent and enter a state of deep thought, Chen Xu grew even more confused. However, he remained patient and didn't interrupt, keeping his gaze fixed on the knight.
After a while, the Sage Black Knight finally stopped. He turned to face Chen Xu and spoke.
"My Lord, I don't know how to answer this question."
"In the final moment of the memories I've obtained, he was standing within a vast, boundless white light."
"After that, there are no more memories."
"However, before he left, he made many arrangements in the Truth Library, establishing thousands of projects in a short time. Two-thirds of them were aimed at the Special World."
"The remaining third was aimed at the Divine Dao."
"From this point of view, it seems the Great Sage knew what was about to happen and laid out his plans in advance."
"A boundless white light, aimed at the Special World, the Divine Dao?"
Separately, these keywords might not have much of a connection, but once combined, a term instantly surfaced in Chen Xu's mind.
Heaven.
Had the Great Sage gone to Heaven at the end of his life—or rather, before his disappearance—to meet the Lord of Heaven?
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck, and a terrifying suspicion rose in Chen Xu's mind.
"Could it be?"
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