Chapter 133: The Power of Existence

Just as Cheng felt a bit anxious due to the silence, the other person spoke again.

“Don’t worry. Right now, you are Cheng Zhenwu. His existence has already been replaced by you. Even if they bring out documents and portraits, they will look like you now. Let alone these ordinary humans, even powerful beings like Tong Shou Mingxia or those in the Transformation Realm would never doubt your authenticity unless they had prior knowledge or practiced similar divine abilities.”

“Those people might find your recent behavior a bit odd, but as long as you control your words and actions and don’t do anything that doesn’t fit your character, there shouldn’t be any problems.”

“You now possess some of his memories, which is enough to allow you to become the real Cheng Zhenwu. Work hard and don’t let the real one down.”

“Yes, I will keep that in mind…”

Meanwhile, on a hill outside the basin.

In a perfect spot to overlook the entire military camp within the basin, Miss Vilyric, concealed by the night and bushes, lowered her “telescope,” nodding thoughtfully.

“I see, something fresh and new I’ve never encountered. The power to replace existence? Quite interesting…”

“…Existence? What did Miss Vilyric see?”

Ignoring the curious query from the gentleman Murong Yun beside her, the black-haired girl stowed away the extraordinary tool that could see through objects and amplify sound, pondering for a moment.

The reason she didn’t use SP for exploration was due to Miss Hen’s earlier warning. The information revealed by the “Heavenly Machine” was linked to a rather troublesome existence, so it would be best to use a more discreet method and avoid energy-related probing.

Having taken Miss Hen’s advice, Vilyric considered her options and decided to resort to this most straightforward physical means, even using her long-treasured precious tool.

If the creature inside that stone slab was a complete being, it might have sensed that someone was spying on it. Yet, it was clear that it currently lacked normal senses and could only communicate with the outside world through specific contacts.

Just like Xi Fu Lin, who had been sealed away, extremely sensitive to divine thoughts and various auras, but rather dull when it came to noticeable physical environmental changes.

From the information she obtained through spying, Miss Vilyric had roughly sketched out the basic outline of an event in her mind. If she wasn’t mistaken, the cracked slab should be the “tomb” they had previously mentioned in their conversation.

The girl’s silver-blue eyes swirled, scanning the military camp and the basin below, quickly locking onto a target.

It was a section of the mountain wall, where an opening about two or three zhang wide and several meters high had been broken through, seemingly leading deep into the interior, revealing a hidden world.

To be honest, it was not hard to notice.

After all, the Black Scale Army there was incredibly dense, completely encircling the nearby area. With just a simple sweep, the Priestess noticed at least a dozen signs of hidden scouts; furthermore, there were likely more guardian forces she hadn’t detected yet.

The entire Black Scale Army, nearly ten thousand strong, seemed entirely positioned around the entrance of that mountain tomb.

Vilyric turned her gaze back to her three companions.

“I don’t know much about the strange powers in the Ancient Spirit Realm. Do you know of any magic… divine abilities that can perfectly replace a person’s identity to the point where even those familiar with them wouldn’t realize the issue?”

“Replace identity…?”

A White-clad Middle-aged Man pondered for a moment.

“Is Miss Vilyric referring to disguise techniques?”

“Oh no, not such shallow methods. What I mean is, without needing to change your appearance, everyone would undoubtedly see you as another person… that kind of power. There are many strange spells in the Ancient Spirit Realm, right? Is there anything like that?”

“Hmm, this…”

Murong Yun fell momentarily silent, as if lost in thought. However, the more knowledgeable Miss Xiao Kong quickly piped up.

“I think I understand what you’re trying to express, Miss Vilyric. It should be the concept of ‘Existence,’ right?”

“Ah, yes, yes, yes! Miss Xiao Kong, please guide me!”

“Hehe~”

The Cat Daughter shook her ears and glanced at the silver-haired girl, who was also deep in thought but chose not to speak, feeling proud.

“Then you’ve come to the right person.”

“When it comes to ‘Existence,’ one must mention the concept of ‘True Name,’ which is especially significant for the strong.”

After a pause, Miss Xiao Kong began to elaborate.

“First of all, a True Name is something everyone has. For ordinary people, it’s basically the name given by their parents, which they commonly use.”

“The existence of ordinary people is small and weak, like floating duckweed, and their True Name doesn’t contain much power. But this name still acts as an essential anchor confirming their existence. Just like most spells and techniques, they usually require knowing the opponent’s name or even their birth date as auxiliary information.”

“In other words, for weak beings, a True Name is merely specific information of close connection and isn’t actually necessary. Many naturally born demons might not even possess a clear True Name for a long time, instead using simpler nicknames or aliases.”

“However, as beings grow stronger and encounter higher levels of power, the meaning of a True Name becomes increasingly important.”

“For instance, if a demon wishes to break through beyond the ‘Same Lifespan’ realm, they must choose a specific title as their True Name and gain the recognition of the Ancient Spirit Realm’s laws to achieve a breakthrough.”

“Because at that level, their ‘Existence’ becomes too strong and heavy, heavy enough to need a clear container to bear it.”

“So, ‘Existence’ is essentially a kind of power—an origin that most are unaware exists but is incredibly important.”

“The causal power connected to each being relies on this ‘Existence’ represented by their ‘True Name.’ If ‘Existence’ becomes sufficiently powerful, it can even use the ‘True Name’ as a beacon to actively absorb external beliefs and causality, growing even larger.”

“At this point, the concept of True Name becomes very, very important, and should not be mentioned lightly. Of course, that’s only for a very small group. Does Miss Vilyric understand all this?”

“Umm…”

According to Miss Xiao Kong’s explanation, this very small group likely refers to the so-called ‘Gods.’

Pausing, and seeing that none of the others seemed to have further questions or wish to chime in, Miss Xiao Kong continued.

“Precisely because ‘Existence’ itself represents a kind of power, naturally, there are those who covet this fruit, seeking to plunder it for their benefit, even attempting to develop sinister arts specifically corresponding to it.”

“That would be the technique of ‘stealing another’s existence.'”

   

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