Only at the Mahayana Stage Does the Reversal System Appear - Chapter 252

Chapter 252 I’m not late, no!

“Yes, what a coincidence! You’re so lucky.” Jiang Li smiled, picking up his tea and clinking it with Atong’s glass.

Atong had a feeling Jiang Li was saying something else, but after thinking it over, he didn’t think there was anything wrong and smiled politely.

“Uncle Jiang…”

“Have you reached a conclusion?”

“Yes, I have some ideas.”

The village celebrated for ten days, and Atong stayed there, a smile on his face, accompanying the old village chief. After

ten days, Atong said goodbye to the old village chief: “Grandpa, Kyushu is vast, and where we are is just a small corner. I want to go out for a walk.”

The old village chief was reluctant to let go, but he knew that Atong had grown up and that the small village of Hantan was a constraint for him, so he said goodbye with tears in his eyes.

After Atong left, Li Nian’er felt dizzy, the scenery changed, the pendant on her chest flickered, and she was once again standing at the village entrance.

“Would you two like to come in and sit down?” The old village chief emerged from the village to greet the two.

“Village chief, don’t you recognize us?”

The old chief looked hesitantly at Li Nian’er and Jiang Li. “My memory is not good. I wonder where I’ve seen you two before?”

“Nothing.” Li Nian’er shook her head, saying nothing more.

Familiar scenes played out. The old chief recounted the story of the evil dragon and the young men who wanted to sacrifice their children to it.

But this time, Li Nian’er chose not to intervene.

Perhaps the young men’s actions had infuriated the villagers, leading to criticism and opposition from many in the village. They

were just a few ninth-level Qi cultivators. Could thousands of third-level Qi cultivators not defeat a few ninth-level Qi cultivators?

Thanks to the combined efforts of the villagers, the two children were still saved.

The evil dragon, enraged, burst forth from the cold pond and reached the village entrance, attempting to devour them all. It was killed by A-Tong, who descended from the sky

. The villagers celebrated, toasting and drinking as before.

“Senior Tong, how many times have you repeated this illusion?” Li Nian’er couldn’t help but wonder at the banquet.

With things having come to this point, how could Li Nian’er fail to see the problem?

This entire incident had been an illusion from beginning to end, a recurring illusion.

“Illusion? What illusion?” Atong was stunned, confused by what Li Nian’er was talking about.

“Senior Tong, the same thing happened twice. Even if I’m a bit clueless, I can tell it’s an illusion.”

“Fellow Daoist, you’ve been trapped in your own illusion for five hundred years, and you still won’t wake up?”

The illusion shattered, revealing the true scene before the two.

The entire village looked like it had been ravaged by a hurricane, with houses collapsed and in disarray.

Over the years, only skeletons remained of the villagers, in various positions and postures: some fell on rooftops, some were crushed by millstones, and some knelt on the ground, holding children…

The only thing these skeletons had in common was that they had fled the village, but it was clear that they had all failed.

Li Nian’er could imagine the terror these people felt before they died.

The massive dragon skeleton lay in the center of the village. The weathered, middle-aged Atong held the body of the old village chief, tears streaming down his face.

“Grandpa’s still alive, uncle and aunt are still alive, everyone’s still alive!”

“I’m not late, no!”

A Fusion Stage cultivator cried like a child before the two of them.

Perhaps in A-Tong’s mind, he was just a child, a child who had lost his only family and refused to face the truth.

In reality, this was only apparent to Li Nian’er. Jiang Li had noticed the problem the moment he arrived. An illusion filled the area for over ten miles, a fantasy conjured by Fusion Stage cultivators. He had already used his spiritual sense to see what the real Hantan Village looked like.

Seeing the reality, Li Nian’er had a rough idea.

The old village chief’s words must have been correct. An evil dragon was stirring up trouble, devouring countless people. A-Tong had secretly escaped, gained an opportunity in a secret realm, learned the art of illusion, and became a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator.

The villagers, unable to tolerate the dragon’s threat, attempted to resist. The dragon, enraged, twisted its massive body, crushing like a mountain, spreading poisonous gas and reducing the entire village to a deadly wasteland, leaving no one alive.

Atong arrived too late, unable to save anyone. Perhaps he had watched helplessly as the old village chief was killed by the evil dragon, too late to intervene.

Furious, Atong fought the dragon, slaying it.

Unable to accept reality, Atong cast an illusion, telling himself over and over again, “

I’m not late, I’m not late. Everyone is still alive.”

As Atong repeated the illusion day after day, year after year, his art of illusion improved, becoming more sophisticated. His own cultivation also rose in the process, reaching the level of a cultivator in the Fusion Stage.

But an illusion, repeated a thousand or ten thousand times, remained an illusion.

Atong could not change the fact that he was the sole survivor of Hantan Village.

Five hundred years had passed, and the old village chief might have been reincarnated several times.

Jiang Li didn’t expose Atong’s illusion right away, wondering whether to shatter his illusion or let him live in it for the rest of his life.

Jiang Li chose the former.

Unbeknownst to Li Nian’er, more than one person had strayed into the illusion. However, after experiencing it once, Atong would have their memories erased and send them out of the village. Consequently, Atong’s illusion remained unexplained for five hundred years.

Li Nian’er possessed a protective pendant given by her mother, which blocked Atong’s tactics and preserved her memories. Jiang

Li sighed inwardly. If he had followed the system’s timeline and slain the evil dragon himself, gaining the opportunity, Atong wouldn’t have had to deal with him, and the family would have been happy.

The Hundred Poisons Sutra, a reward for this mission, was likely intended for use with the Dragon Poison Pill.

The mission also rewarded dragon bloodwood. Using dragon bloodwood as firewood, soaking in boiled dragon blood maximized its health-boosting properties.

The third reward was a cloaking talisman. Jiang Li used his divine sense to detect a rare object within the cold pond, called the Extremely Cold Frost Mirror, which gave the cold pond its existence.

The Extreme Frost Mirror constantly emits a chilling feeling. Carrying it can strengthen the body, but the chill is too noticeable, easily attracting prying eyes. This is where the invisibility charm comes in.

The system is thoughtful, but Jiang Li can’t use any of its rewards.

Furthermore, with the dragon dead for centuries, the mission is impossible to complete.

Jiang Li wondered if the system had factored in the averted tragedy in Hantan Village. If so, he’d have to reevaluate its origins and purpose.

“Fellow Daoist, have you ever considered what your grandfather, uncle, and aunt would look like when they saw you so dejected?”

Atong shuddered, as if he were standing before his grandfather, afraid to meet his gaze.

“Everyone dies one day, but they all hope their loved ones will remember them and move forward with strength. Time doesn’t stop with someone’s passing, but a person’s growth can.”

“Do you want to live like this forever, dwelling in a past that doesn’t exist?”

Atong slowly stood up and thanked Jiang Li.

“Thank you for your enlightenment, I haven’t asked your name yet.”

“You should have heard of my name. My name is Jiang Li.”

Atong was stunned for a moment before hesitatingly replying, “I hope you can forgive me, Jiang Li. This is the first time I’ve heard of this name.”

Jiang Li was very calm, not showing any embarrassment.

(End of this chapter)