Chương 449: Chapter 448: A Disbeliever

The white void around us began to shimmer and crack like breaking glass. Reality reasserted itself in fragments: first the withered trees, then the cracked stone of the abandoned shrine, finally the late afternoon light. The Chamber of Absolute Truth dissolved completely, leaving us standing in the forest clearing where this whole confrontation had begun. I blinked, adjusting to the sudden return of color and texture after that sterile white space.

The ancient oak's massive branches swayed despite the absence of wind, and I could feel his attention focused on us with what could only be described as intense curiosity. The Stone Emperor had somehow managed to position himself for the best possible view of our confrontation, which was impressive considering he was basically a large rock.

"Benefactor!" the oak's voice rumbled.

"We witnessed the golden light, but could not perceive what transpired within. Has the threatening one been dealt with appropriately?" I looked down at City Lord Feng Zhaoyang, who was still kneeling in the grass where he'd fallen when his worldview collapsed. His once-pristine robes were wrinkled and stained with dirt, his carefully styled hair disheveled. But more importantly, the manic certainty that had defined his spiritual pressure was completely gone.

In its place was something I'd never felt before in this realm - actual rationality.

"The City Lord has seen the truth," I said carefully, not wanting to embarrass the man further.

"He's no longer a threat to anyone."

"Remarkable!" the Stone Emperor declared.

"To witness the fall of a World-Writ Sovereign! Truly, the Divine Master's power knows no bounds! This unworthy stone feels honored to have provided seating during such a momentous—""Mister! Mister!" Little Bloom's excited voice cut through the Stone Emperor's rambling as she came rushing toward me on her tiny legs. Despite everything that had happened, I couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm.

She crashed into my legs with surprising force for such a small tree, wrapping her delicate branches around them in what was unmistakably a hug.

"You won! You won!" she chirped, her leaves rustling with excitement.

"The bad man isn't scary anymore! He's just sitting there looking sad, like when I drop my favorite pebble in the pond!" I reached down and patted her tiny crown of leaves.

"That's right, Little Bloom. Everything's okay now." But even as I said it, exhaustion was starting to creep in around the edges of my awareness. The past few hours had been more draining than any physical battle I'd fought since arriving in the tournament. Before the City Lord had even appeared, I'd spent the better part of yesterday and this morning experimenting with my theory about consciousness creation.

Using carefully controlled amounts of blue sun energy, I'd managed to awaken several more plants, rocks, and even a family of rabbits. It wasn't as simple as just blasting them with energy and hoping for the best. Each awakening required a delicate touch, enough power to spark awareness, but not so much that I overwhelmed their nascent consciousness with foreign thoughts or programmed loyalty. The ancient oak had been right when he said I'd helped them.

The blue sun energy, when filtered through qi and applied with careful precision, didn't just grant consciousness, it granted free consciousness. The awakened beings could think their own thoughts, make their own choices. Most had chosen to support me, drawn by genuine gratitude for the gift of awareness and perhaps a natural affinity for the one who'd given it to them. But not all.

A particularly stubborn boulder near the shrine's entrance had taken one look at the situation, declared that "politics were beneath the dignity of proper stone," and rolled itself into the underbrush to sulk in peace. I hadn't tried to stop it. If anything, its decision had been proof that my method was working correctly. But the process had been exhausting. Each awakening required me to maintain perfect control while channeling energies that wanted to either dominate or corrupt everything they touched.

By the time Feng Zhaoyang had arrived with his golden spiritual pressure blazing, I'd been running on fumes.

"Master," Azure had whispered in my mind as the City Lord approached, "your qi and blue sun energy reserves are critically low. Perhaps we should consider a strategic withdrawal?" I'd been tempted, but something about the man's absolute certainty had intrigued me. Plus, running away would have looked terrible in front of my newly awakened friends. When Feng Zhaoyang had started his formal arrest speech, I'd deliberately engaged him in conversation to buy time.

And when he'd started using calligraphy techniques to try to arrest me, I felt more confident in my theory about Xuan Yi being a derivative of blue sun energy. After all, in the Two Suns world, calligraphy was the oldest method of blue sun cultivation. The idea that a realm descended from blue sun corruption would develop a calligraphy tradition for beings in the higher stages of cultivation wasn't surprising at all.

And then, when I'd pulled out my own brush and ink, channeling blue sun energy directly into the characters I wrote, the poor City Lord hadn't stood a chance. My simple "Stop" character had torn through his chains like they were made of paper. After all, he'd been using a derivative energy to fight against its source. It was like trying to use a candle to overpower the sun. Fortunately for both of us, he'd had the wisdom not to escalate into direct violence after that.

Because while my calligraphy demonstration had been effective, it had also used up a significant chunk of my remaining blue sun energy. If he'd kept pushing, I would have had to resort to red sun energy, and that would have gotten messy very quickly. The Clash of Convictions, on the other hand, had been something I'd felt confident about from the start.

"Master," Azure had observed during our philosophical duel, "his entire worldview is built on circular reasoning and wishful thinking. This shouldn't be difficult." And it hadn't been. Feng Zhaoyang's beliefs were fundamentally unstable because they were based on the delusion that personal conviction could override natural laws without limitation. All I'd had to do was keep asking "why" until the contradictions became impossible to ignore.

But what fascinated me now was what had happened to his spiritual energy afterward. Where the City Lord's aura touched the chaotic, self-aggrandizing energy that filled this realm, it seemed to stabilize and purify it. The effect was subtle but unmistakable, like watching muddy water slowly run clear.

"It's similar to how qi affects Xuan Yi," I realized.

"But instead of forcing an evolution, Disbeliever energy seems to slowly strip away the delusions and leave behind something more rational." This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"An interesting parallel," Azure agreed.

"It suggests that this realm has developed its own immune response to the blue sun corruption. Unfortunately, from what we've observed, that immune response is usually suppressed or eliminated before it can spread." He was right. The blue sun's corruption ran too deep and wouldn't tolerate anything that threatened its control. Which meant Disbelievers were hunted down and eliminated as soon as they were discovered.

Li Qiang had been watching the entire confrontation from a respectful distance, but now he approached with obvious excitement radiating from his weathered features.

"Divine Master," he said, and I could hear the genuine awe in his voice.

"To witness you defeat a World-Writ Sovereign in philosophical combat... truly, the Gold Emperor's faith in the Young Master's destiny has been vindicated!" I winced internally. Li Qiang was back to the "destiny" talk, which meant Du Yanze's breakthrough and my performance had probably reinforced all his existing delusions rather than opening his mind to new possibilities. I really needed to get to purifying his Xuan Yi…

"Li Qiang," I said carefully, "what you witnessed wasn't about destiny or chosen status. It was about examining beliefs honestly and accepting what the evidence actually shows." The old servant's face scrunched up in confusion.

"But Young Master, surely your ability to reveal the truth to others is proof of your superiority? Who but one marked by heaven itself could show a World-Writ Sovereign the error of his ways?" Before I could figure out how to respond to that without crushing his spirits, the City Lord himself spoke up.

"The young man is correct," Feng Zhaoyang said, his voice carrying a quiet authority that was completely different from his earlier bombast.

"What happened here wasn't about destiny or divine mandate. It was about the difference between thinking clearly and... well, what I was doing before." He brushed dirt from his robes and looked around the clearing with new eyes.

"For three centuries, I've ruled this city based on the assumption that my power proved my righteousness. That success validated my beliefs. But power and success can come from many sources - inheritance, fear, habit, or simply being the only option available." Little Bloom had released my legs and was now staring up at the City Lord with obvious curiosity.

"Why were you so angry before?" she asked with the direct honesty that only children could manage.

"You were all sparkly and loud and scary." Feng Zhaoyang knelt down to her level, his expression softening.

"Because I was afraid, little one. Afraid that if I stopped believing I was special, I would become worthless. But I was wrong about that too."

"Oh," she said, considering this seriously.

"Papa says being afraid makes some people mean. But you're not mean now."

"No," he agreed, glancing up at the ancient oak.

"I'm not." The oak's massive form shifted slightly, his attention focusing on the City Lord.

"The transformation is remarkable to observe," he rumbled.

"Where once your presence felt like... like standing too close to a fire that insisted it was the sun, now you simply feel like a person."

"That's probably the most accurate description of Xuan Yi corruption I've heard yet," I said, impressed despite myself.

"The insistence on cosmic importance without the actual authority to back it up." The Stone Emperor, not to be outdone in offering observations, chimed in with his own analysis.

"Indeed! This humble stone has witnessed many who claimed greatness, but few who actually possessed it. The difference is now clear; true strength requires no constant proclamation!" I had to smile at that. Even as a Disbeliever's energy affected him, the Stone Emperor was still managing to be pompous. Some personality traits apparently ran deeper than cultivation systems. Feng Zhaoyang stood and turned to face me directly.

"Du Yanze," he said formally, "I owe you an apology and a debt. You've shown me truths I've spent centuries avoiding. If you're truly committed to helping others see past their delusions, then you have my support." I nodded, accepting his words with what I hoped was appropriate gravity. But internally, I was thinking about how this wasn't really my mission at all. I'd come to this realm for a tournament battle against Yuan Zhen. Everything else had been experimentation and accident.

I'd awakened these beings because I was curious about consciousness creation. I'd challenged the City Lord's beliefs because I was buying time and testing theories about energy interactions. But looking around at the small community of awakened beings that had formed around me, I felt something I hadn't expected - responsibility. Little Bloom was still staring at Feng Zhaoyang with fascination, occasionally asking questions about why grown-ups made things so complicated.

The ancient oak was explaining local politics to some of the newly awakened bushes, his centuries of observation providing context they desperately needed. Even the Stone Emperor was holding court with a few awakened pebbles, regaling them with stories of his grand plans for geological civilization. These beings were real people now, with their own thoughts and desires and fears.

They hadn't asked to be awakened, but now that they were, they deserved a chance to exist in a world that wouldn't immediately try to destroy them for thinking clearly. And this realm... it was sick. The blue sun corruption had turned what should have been a healthy cultivation environment into a madhouse where every rock and tree was convinced they were the center of the universe. The few beings who managed to see through the delusion were labeled as dangerous heretics and eliminated.

In the cultivation novels I'd read, this was exactly the kind of situation where the protagonist would step in to fix things. And while I wasn't exactly a traditional protagonist, I was probably the closest thing this realm had to someone who could actually address the underlying problems.

"Master," Azure said quietly, "I can practically hear you talking yourself into taking on another massive responsibility." He wasn't wrong. But what was the alternative? Take advantage of this world's resources and people in my preparation for my battle with Yuan Zhen, then leave this realm to continue its slow descent into complete madness? That was unbelievably selfish and went against my own values.

"I'll do whatever is in my power to help," I thought back to him, "besides, even if I don't succeed personally, Du Yanze might. And he's definitely got protagonist potential."

"The classic 'it's the right thing to do and might be profitable' justification," Azure observed with dry amusement.

"I can't argue with the logic, though I do question your ability to maintain a low profile while revolutionizing an entire realm's spiritual framework." That was a valid concern. There was no way to hide what Feng Zhaoyang had become. That Disbeliever aura was like a beacon announcing his change to anyone with decent spiritual senses. The charade was essentially over. Within hours, every cultivator in the region would know that their City Lord had fallen to a Crisis of Doubt.

They'd want to know what could possibly have caused such a dramatic transformation in a World-Writ Sovereign. And when they investigated, they'd find Du Yanze - a failed young master who'd somehow gained the power to convert authority figures. Even if the locals suspected that Du Yanze was merely a Disbeliever himself and not possessed, Yuan Zhen definitely would put the pieces together and figure out that the young master had been chosen as my vessel.

"You know what?" I said to Azure, making up my mind.

"It's time to stop pretending I'm just Du Yanze with a lucky breakthrough." I glanced around at my small gathering of followers. They'd already seen me do things that no normal Crowned Heart Realm cultivator should be capable of. The ancient oak had witnessed me casually rewrite consciousness itself. The Stone Emperor had felt energies that transcended anything in their local cultivation system.

And now I had a former World-Writ Sovereign whose spiritual signature would scream "Disbeliever" to anyone with decent cultivation. There was no hiding what had happened here. Which meant there was no point in trying to stay subtle about what came next. Maybe it was time to stop playing it safe. Maybe it was time to acquire some more resources. Maybe it was time to take over a city.

Little Bloom had been listening to the grown-ups talk with the patient expression of a child who understood that important things were being discussed, even if the details went over her head. But now she wandered back over to me, her tiny branches swaying as she walked across the uneven ground with the careful steps of someone still getting used to having legs. She looked up at me with bright, curious eyes.

"Are we going to help more people think better thoughts?"

"Yes," I said, patting her leaves again.

"We're going to help a lot more people." Suddenly, a brilliant flash of light drew everyone's attention skyward. High above the forest canopy, glowing characters began forming in the air - a simple golden number. Three. Feng Zhaoyang's eyes widened as he stared at the glowing numeral.

"Impossible," he breathed, his voice filled with awe.

"The divine beings... they must have descended in secret. Their battle is fast approaching…" I couldn't help but smile at his words. After all, before the dramatic announcement, I was just about to reveal that I was one of those so-called divine beings he was talking about.

"What does the number mean?" Little Bloom asked, tugging on my robe.

"It means we have three days to help people," I murmured. Interesting. I'd thought I still had five or six days left before my confrontation with Yuan Zhen. But it seemed either the sect elders were eager to accelerate the tournament schedule, or more likely, the passage of time was faster in this realm than the Realm of Living Lyrics. Regardless of the reason, it meant I had even less time than expected to acquire some powerful techniques from the city for my clash with Yuan Zhen.