The spring rain quietly rained down on Qing Mao Mountain.
It was already late in the night, a slight breeze blowing with the light rain.
Yet Qing Mao Mountain was not covered in darkness; from the side down to the foot of the mountain, dozens of tiny lights shone like a bright band.
These lights shone from tall buildings, even though it could not be said to match up to ten thousand lights, yet it was still a few thousand in number.
Situated on the mountain was Gu Yue Village, giving the vast lonely mountain a rich touch of human civilization.
In the middle of the Gu Yue Village was a magnificent pavilion. A grand ceremony was being held at this moment, and the lights were even brighter than ever, radiating with glory.
"Ancestors, please bless us! We pray that this ceremony will bring many young men of outstanding talent and intelligence, bringing their families new blood and hopes!"
The head of the Gu Yue clan had a middle-aged appearance, his sideburns were graying and he was clothed in ceremonial white robes, kneeling on the brownish-yellow floor. His body was straight with his hands held together, eyes tightly shut as he prayed sincerely.
He was facing a tall black case; it had three layers, all housing memorial tablets of ancestors. On both sides of the tablets was copper incense, the smoke rising.
Behind him were over 10 people kneeling similarly to him. They wore loose white ceremonial garments. Among them were clan elders, important members, and those who had much authority
After finishing prayers, the Gu Yue clan head bent his waist with his two hands pressing against the floor and kowtowed. As the forehead knocked against the brownish-yellow floor, light thuds could be heard.
Behind him, the elders and important clan members solemnly and quietly followed suit.
With this, the hall was filled with light thuds as the heads knocked against the floor.
When the ceremony was over, the crowd of people slowly got up from the ground and silently walked out of the sacred temple.
In the hallway, sighs of relief were heard from the crowd of elders and the atmosphere loosened up. The noise of discussion slowly rose.
"Time flies too quickly, in the blink of an eye, a year has gone by."
"The previous ceremony feels like it happened yesterday, I can still recall it vividly."
"Tomorrow is the opening of the annual grand ceremony, I wonder what new clan blood will show up this year?"
"Ah, I hope that some highly talented youths will appear. The Gu Yue clan hasn't seen a genius emerge for three years now."
"Agreed. The Bai Village, Xiong Village these few years all had some talented geniuses appear. Especially that Bai Ning Bing from the Bai clan, his natural talent is quite terrifying."
It was unclear who had brought up the name Bai Ning Bing, but the faces of the elders started to show worry.
The boy's qualifications were splendid; in a short period of two years worth of training, he had already reached the level of a rank three Gu Master.
In the younger generation, he could be said as the most outstanding one. It was to the point that even the older generation could feel pressure from the promising youth.
In time, he would inevitably become the pillar of the Bai clan. At the very least he would also be an independently strong warrior. No one ever doubted this fact.
"But for this year's youths that will be participating in the ceremony, not all hope is lost."
"You're right, Fang Zhi's side has appeared a young genius. Able to start talking after three months, able to walk after four. At five years of age, he was able to recite poetry, seems exceptionally intelligent, especially talented. What a pity that his parents died early, now he is being raised by his uncle and aunt."
"Yes, this one has wisdom at a young age, also harboring big ambitions. In recent years I have heard his creations 'Jiang Jing Jiu', 'Yong Mei' and 'Jiang Cheng Zi', what a genius!"
The Gu Yue clan head was the last to walk out of the ancestral temple. After slowly closing the door, he heard the discussions that were going on in the corridor among the clan elders.
He knew at once that the elders were discussing about the youth known as Gu Yue Fang Yuan at that moment.
As the head of the clan, it is natural to pay attention to the outstanding and prominent young ones. And it so happens that Gu Yue Fang Yuan was the most eye-catching one amongst the juniors.
Experience has shown that those who have photographic memory at a young age, or those who have the strength that could rival an adult or had other great inborn talents, all had outstanding cultivation qualifications.
"If this child shows A grade potential, with great care he could even compete against Bai Ning Bing. Even if it is B grade, in the future he could also become a banner of the Gu Yue Clan. But with this sort of early intelligence, the percentage of B grade is not that big, but highly possible to be an A grade." With this thought, the Gu Yue clan head curled up his lips slowly into a smile.
At once, with a cough, he faced the clan elders and said, "Everyone, the hour is late, for tomorrow's opening ceremony you should all rest well tonight and take care of your energy levels."
At his words, the elders looked startled. They looked at each other with a hint of caution in their eyes.
The clan head's words meant well, but everyone knew what he was aiming to convey.
Every year to compete for these young geniuses, the elders would fight among themselves to the point of reddened ears and bleeding heads.
They should stay well-rested and replenish themselves until tomorrow comes.
Especially with that Gu Yue Fang Yuan, whose A grade potential was extremely huge.
Not counting the fact that both his parents were deceased, and that he was one of the two only descendants of Fang Zhi's bloodline left.
If one was able to get their hands on and bring him into their own family line, with great care and training, one could secure himself a hundred years of prosperity!
"However, I'm going to go ahead and say what needs to be said first. When you compete, do it fair and square; tricks and conspiracies are not allowed, or damage to the clan's unity. Everyone, please keep this in mind!" The clan head strictly instructed.
"We wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare."
"We'll keep it in mind."
"Then this is good night, please take care."
The clan elders slowly dispersed with deep thoughts.
Not long after that, the long corridor became quiet. The wind from the spring rain breezed through the window, and the clan head lightly walked towards the window.
Immediately, he breathed in the fresh moist air of the mountain, how refreshing it felt.
This was the third floor of the garret; the clan head looked out of the window. He could see half of the entire Gu Yue Village.
Even if it was late in the night, most of the homes in the village still had lights on, which was unusual.
Tomorrow is the opening ceremony, and it affects everyone's best interests. A kind of excited yet tense atmosphere had enveloped the hearts of the people of the clan, and thus many people not being able to sleep well was natural.
"This is the hopes for the clan's future." With the many lights dancing in his eyes, the clan head sighed.
At the very same moment, a pair of clear eyes quietly looked at the same lights sparkling in the night, full of complex feelings inside.
"Gu Yue Village, this is 500 years ago?! Looks like the Spring Autumn Cicada really worked…" Fang Yuan quietly gazed, standing by the window, letting the rain from the wind hit his body.
The use of the Spring Autumn Cicada is to reverse time. The Spring Autumn Cicada is ranked seventh in the Ten Big Mystical Gu rankings, it was no mere creature.
In short, it is the ability to be reborn.
It is said in legend that a river of time exists in this world. It supports the world's time flow and circulation. And by using the Spring Autumn Cicada's power, one can travel back upstream and return to the past.
There is much conflicting opinion on this mythical tale. Many do not believe in it, and some are skeptical of the truth.
Few people actually dare to believe it.
Because every time one uses the Spring Autumn Cicada one must pay with his life, letting his entire body and cultivation be the driving force to use its power.
Such a price is too expensive.
The thing that people are unable to accept is that after paying with your life, you don't even know what the outcome is.
So even if someone has the Spring Autumn Cicada, they would not dare use it so indiscriminately. What if the rumors were fake, and it was just a scam?
If Fang Yuan were not cornered into such a state, he would also not use it so hurriedly. But now, Fang Yuan is thoroughly convinced. Because the reality of the truth has been laid before his eyes and there was no denying it. He has really been reborn!
"With the use of the Spring Autumn Cicada I have been reborn, going back to the time of 500 years ago!" Fang Yuan stretched out his hand, his sight fixated on his own young and soft, pale palms, then slowly clenched them, embracing the truth of this reality with all his might.
The sound of the drizzling rain hitting softly against the window sill filling his ears, he slowly closed his eyes, opening them after a long while. He sighed, "500 years of experience, it feels like a dream."
But he knew it clearly: This was definitely not a dream.
"It's just a pity… From the start I had wasted an absurd amount of effort, killing hundreds of thousands of people, making even the heavens furious and inciting people's vengeance, went through suffering and multiple hardships to finally attain and refine this good Gu …" Fang Yuan thought with a sigh. Even though he had been reborn, the Spring Autumn Cicada did not come with him.
Humans are the greatest among thousands of creatures, Gu are the essence of heaven and earth.
Gu comes in thousands of shapes and sizes of strange and mysterious variety – there are too many to count. Some Gu after being used once or even twice or thrice will completely dissipate. And some Gu can be reused again and again as long as it is not used over its limits.
That said, it is probable that the Spring Autumn Cicada is one of those types that can only be used once before disappearing for good.
"But even if it's gone, I can still refine another. I have done it in my previous life, why can't I do it in this life?" After the thoughts of pity were put aside, Fang Yuan's heart burst forth ambitious and determined feelings.
To be able to be reborn, this fact made the loss of the Spring Autumn Cicada entirely acceptable.
Not to mention he had something precious with him, so it's not like he lost everything.
This precious treasure was his 500 years worth of memories and experience.
In his memories are a multitude of all kinds of treasures and precious items that no one has opened yet in this time. All the big events and incidents he can easily grasp by the veins of history. There are countless figures: some are predecessors of hidden levels; some are geniuses, some people not even born yet. Also in these 500 years of life are memories of painstaking cultivation and rich combat experience.
With all these memories and experiences, he had undeniably grasped the overall situation and upcoming opportunities.
With good planning and execution, he could empower the situation with great fierceness and elegance. It was not a problem now that he could take a step ahead of others, breaking the higher boundaries!
"So how do I go about this hmmm…" Fang Yuan was incredibly sensible. He collected himself together and faced the night rain outside the window, pondering. With this thought, things started to feel complicated. After thinking for a moment, his brows wrinkled deeper.
500 years was a rather long period. Don't mention those long muddled memories that cannot be recalled, even remembering the hidden locations of treasures or special encounters of people were a lot, but the main issue was that the locations were separated among a long distance and had to be accessed or visited at certain periods.
"The most important thing is cultivation. The current me has not even opened my mortal aperture, hasn't stepped on the path to be a Gu Master. I'm just a mortal! I have to hurry and cultivate, catching up to history and seize the opportunities with the best advantage."
Not to forget, many of these hidden locations of treasures were useless without proper foundation. Instead, it would just be walking into a wolf's den, looking for death.
The problem in front of Fang Yuan now was cultivation.
He had to increase the level of his foundation as fast as possible. If he were slow like his previous life, he would just be too late.
"To cultivate as fast as possible, I would have to borrow the resources from the clan. With the state I am in now, I have no power or ability to travel back and forth across the dangerous mountains. Even an ordinary mountain boar can take my life. If I can reach the cultivation of a Rank 3 Gu Master, I'd have the means to protect myself and leave the mountain."
Through the eyes of a 500 year old person who has cultivated in the Demonic Way, Qing Mao Mountain was just way too small, Gu Yue Village even feels like a cage.
But while the cage restricted freedom, the sturdy bars of the cage also brought about a certain kind of safety.
"Hmm, in this short period of time I'll just stay in this cage. As long as I can reach Rank 3 Gu Master, I can leave this poor mountain. Luckily tomorrow is the Awakening Ceremony, I'll be able to start training as a Gu Master soon after."
When he thought about the Awakening Ceremony, old memories that had long been buried away in his heart resurfaced themselves.
"Talent huh…" He sneered, his gaze focused out the window.
At this moment, the door to his room was lightly pushed open and a young teenager walked in.
"Big brother, why are you standing in the rain by the window side ?"
The youth was thin, slightly shorter than Fang Yuan. His face resembled Fang Yuan's features greatly. As Fang Yuan turned his head to look at this young man, a complicated look flickered across his face.
"It's you huh, my twin little brother." He raised his eyebrows, his expression returning to that of cold indifference. Fang Zheng lowered his head and looked at his own toes; this is his signature stance.
"I saw that big brother's window was not shut closed, so I thought I'd come in here and close it. Tomorrow is the Awakening Ceremony, it's so late and you haven't gone to bed yet big brother. If Uncle and Aunty knew, they would probably be worried."
Fang Zheng was not surprised at Fang Yuan's coldness. Ever since he was a small child, his older brother had always made him been cold to him. No, it was only natural he should be cold to a useless person like him.
Sometimes he would wonder, maybe a genius is just like this, being rather different from ordinary people. Even though he had the same look like his older brother, he felt that he was ordinary like an ant.
They were born from the same womb at the same time, and yet why are the heavens so unfair? His older brother had been endowed with gleaming talent, while he was as ordinary as a stone.
Everyone around him would say, "This is Fang Yuan's little brother-" when they mentioned him. His aunt and uncle would constantly tell him to learn from his older brother. Even when he looked into the mirror sometimes, he would feel disgusted as he saw his own face!
These thoughts had been ongoing for many years, accumulating day and night deeply into his heart. Like a giant stone pressing against his heart, these few years Fang Zheng's head lowered more and more, and he also grew quieter.
"Worried…" At the thought of his aunt and uncle, Fang Yuan laughed silently. He could still remember clearly how the parents of this world had both lost their lives in one of the clan missions. When he was only 3 years old, he and his little brother became orphans.
In the name of upbringing, his aunt and uncle grabbed hold of the inheritance left behind by his parents while inflicting harsh treatment against his younger brother and himself.
Originally he wanted to cultivate in peace and live a good life. However his life was difficult, various circumstances led him into revealing his abilities and talents.
The so-called talent is merely but a mature and intelligent soul that carried a few of Earth's popular ancient poems.
With this, he managed to startle people and capture attention. Because of pressure from the outside world, the young Fang Yuan decided to keep a cold indifferent expression to protect himself, reducing the possibility of revealing any more secrets. Over time the coldness would become a habit that he was accustomed to expressing.
Thus his aunt and uncle were no longer harsh on him and his younger brother. As the years passed and they got older, the future became more optimistic, and better treatment increased. This was not out of love, but a type of investment.
It's hilarious how his little brother never saw this truth; not only was he deceived by their aunt and uncle, he also started burying resentments inside. Although he looked like a good-natured and honest boy now, in Fang Yuan's memories when his brother was found out to be an A grade talent the clan spent much effort in raising him with all they had. After that, all the buried resentment and jealousy and hate inside was released, and many a time Fang Zheng would target, suppress and make life difficult for his own older brother.
As for his own grade, it was only C grade talent.
Fate loved to play a joke.
A pair of twins – The older one only had C grade talent but had been known as a genius for a dozen years. The younger one who was always overlooked was the one with A grade talent instead.
The results of the Awakening Ceremony had left the clan shocked. The treatment of the two brothers had suddenly reversed after that.
The younger brother was like a dragon rising up to the heavens; the older brother was like a phoenix that fell down to the earth.
After that came the many hardships and troubles from his own younger brother, the cold eyes of his aunt and uncle, the contempt of the clans people.
Did he hate it?
Fang Yuan in his previous life hated it. He hated his own lack of talent, he hated how heartless the clan was, hated how fate was so unfair. But now, with his 500 years of life experiences, using this to rethink this course his heart was actually calm, not a shred of hatred.
What was there to be gain from resentment?
Thinking about it from another point of view, he could understand his younger brother, aunt, and uncle, even those enemies from 500 years later who attacked him.
The strong eat the weak, survival of the fittest; these have always been the rules of this world. Everyone has self-ambitions, always struggling to grasp the opportunities. Among all the war and killing what is there not to be understood?
His life experiences have long allowed him to understand all this, with the heart that wants to gain eternal life.
If someone tries to prevent this pursuit of his, no matter who it is, he will kill them and live through it. The aspirations in his heart were too big, stepping onto this road was to be making the world your enemy, and it was destined to be alone, destined to kill.
This was the conclusion of 500 years of life.
"Revenge is not my intention." With that, he couldn't help but laugh and gave his younger brother a faint glance. "You can leave."
Fang Zheng's heart shook as he felt like his brother's eyes were sharp like an ice blade, seemingly penetrating the deepest parts of his heart.
Under such a gaze, he felt like he was in the snow, naked, unable to hold any secrets.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow, big brother." Not daring to say anymore, Fang Zheng slowly closed the door and left.
TL Note:
This novel has another name, Daoist Gu.
The Chinese name is 《蛊真人》pronounced as Gu Zhen Ren, Gu is the name of the mystical bugs that are used in this novel. I used the name Reverend Insanity because I felt that it fit more than Daoist Gu; the main character is by no means a saint or a good person. In fact, as a warning, you can say that the MC is a pretty ruthless villain, so do expect a roller coaster coming your way.
(1) Gu Yue: It means Ancient Moon in direct translation. The clan kinda has an affinity with moon things. The 'Gu' used here is a different Chinese character from the mystical Gu insects.