Reversing Falsehood and Preserving Truth: All Gods and Gods Are in My Hands

The moonlight, like silver gauze soaked in ink, blurred the array patterns on the old house's courtyard wall, making them appear and disappear. The twisted symbols snaked like snakes in the moonlight, and the faint black mist between the patterns floated gently in the night breeze, licking the mottled brick seams as if they were alive.

"This world is fake!"

"The ethereal beings are the guards of the cage, and humans are the prisoners waiting to be slaughtered..."

Lu Yu stood in the center of the courtyard, the pale golden runes on his palm unconsciously burning. The words of the other party's leader during the day were now intertwined with the strange aura of the formation, drilling into his mind.

He recalled the warmth of his parents waiting for him under the lamp after school, Zhao Lei's bravery in protecting him with his back, and Su Wan's stubbornness in clutching the paint bottle, trembling but refusing to back down. These were all real things within his reach, but the existence of the illusory spirit, the altered memories, and the rules that could even erase Lin Xi were like needles pricking his doubts.

He raised his hand to touch the symbols on the wall, but just as his fingertips were about to touch the brick surface, a chill suddenly shot up his arm from his fingertips, startling him so much that he quickly pulled his hand back, and the golden light of the runes in his palm trembled.

Just then, a very light footstep came from the alley entrance, mixed with the rustling of the wind through the sycamore leaves. It was unlike the enemy's frenzy during the day, nor the sticky feeling of the spirits, but carried a familiar, weathered scent, stained with engine oil and the vicissitudes of time.

Lu Yu turned around abruptly, and a golden light condensed into a blade of light about an inch long in his palm, but it suddenly dissipated when he saw who it was—Old Zhou's figure slowly walked out from the shadows at the alley entrance.

He was still wearing that greasy work uniform, the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing his muscular arms, and the cuffs of his trousers were stained with mud from the suburbs, clearly indicating that he had traveled back overnight.

The rusty wrench was still tucked into his waistband, and the wrinkles around his eyes were a few degrees deeper than the night at the repair shop, but his eyes were still as sharp as an eagle's, sweeping over the mess in the yard before landing on Lu Yu with a hint of barely perceptible concern, showing no sign of fatigue.

"Hey kid, what are you doing here causing trouble in the middle of the night instead of sleeping at home?"

Old Zhou's voice was still hoarse, but it sounded a bit deeper than usual. He walked to the millstone, squatted down, patted the dust-covered millstone, and slid the wrench from his waist to his palm, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the rust on the wrench.

"I hid in the suburbs for a few days and had detected the auras of several more Executors, but they disappeared into thin air halfway there, as if they had been erased. I was worried that something was going to happen in Zhongzhou City, so I rushed back overnight to check."

Lu Yu's heart sank suddenly. Could the executor just disappear into thin air?

He sheathed his light blade, walked to the opposite side of Old Zhou, and recounted his recent experiences, his journey to the Bureau of Truth and his inheritance of the True Dao, the attack on the old house during the day, and those insane theories about the "falsehood of the world." Finally, he clenched his fist, his voice revealing a vulnerability he himself was unaware of:

"Uncle Zhou, they say this world is fake, the spirits are the guards, and we are the prisoners... Is this really true?"

Upon hearing this, Old Zhou stopped rubbing the wrench, looked up at Lu Yu, and his eyes showed no hesitation, but rather a firmness tempered by the passage of time. Even his tone carried an unquestionable certainty: "This world is real."

"But..." Lu Yu wanted to argue, as his recent experiences were shaking his understanding, but Old Zhou interrupted him by raising his hand.

"Think about it carefully. Of all the things you just mentioned, was the pork rib your mother served you hot? Was the milk your father handed you lukewarm? Was the force with which Zhao Lei patted your shoulder real?" Old Zhou's voice wasn't loud, but it struck Lu Yu's heart like a heavy hammer.

"What is illusory are those things and so-called rules that are opposed to this world, not the world you live in. Truth and falsehood are never in heaven and earth, but in your heart."

These words echoed the meaning of Nuwa's words, "Hold fast to your true self," and most of the confusion in Lu Yu's mind dissipated. However, another long-standing question welled up again. He leaned forward and asked urgently, "Where exactly did that ethereal spirit come from? Did my grandmother already know?"

Old Zhou paused in his eating of dry bread, his eyes darkening with a hint of unspoken caution, as crumbs of bread fell to the ground. "I know, and your grandmother knows too. But I can't say how I found out; the time isn't right."

He paused, ran his fingertip along the crack in the floor tile, and added a touch of respect to his tone, "Your grandmother was a great person. Everything she did was to protect what needed to be protected. You'll understand that later."

Lu Yu's heart skipped a beat. He wanted to ask about his grandmother's whereabouts, but then he remembered another crucial question and lowered his voice even further: "Outside of the Shouzhen Bureau, why are there other people who have inherited the power of the Great Dao? Those people in the Guizhen Sect clearly also have the power of the Great Dao."

Old Zhou stuffed the remaining dry bread back into his pocket, picked up a wrench, and gently tapped the hand pump in the yard. The dull sound echoed through the yard, mingling with the rustling of the night wind, carrying a hint of vicissitude.

"That's just how people are. They're not that simple. The Bureau of Guarding Truth is meant to protect people, but some people feel that the Bureau's rules restrict their actions, some people crave the power of the Great Dao, and some people are misled by illusions, thinking that they are on the 'right path'."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the night beyond the courtyard wall, his tone carrying a hint of secrecy unknown to others:

"Moreover, the ethereal spirits are not monolithic. Not all ethereal spirits want to devour humans. Some ethereal spirits guard their own territories, neither causing trouble nor harming people; some even have tacit understandings with human guardians of truth. However, the Guardian Bureau will not tell outsiders about these things, for fear of disturbing people's hearts."

"Then the ethereal spirit..." Lu Yu wanted to ask more about the secrets of the ethereal spirit, but Old Zhou raised his hand to stop him.

Old Zhou's eyes grew serious as he twirled the wrench in his palm, its rust gleaming coldly in the moonlight. "What you're meant to know, you'll know sooner or later. What you're not meant to know, asking won't help; it'll only bring trouble upon yourself. What you need to do now is stabilize your newly broken through to the Imperial Dao Realm, prevent the backlash from the power of the Great Dao, and don't lose sight of your true self."

Lu Yu opened his mouth, wanting to ask his grandmother about the connection between her and the formation, but seeing Old Zhou's unquestionable gaze, he could only swallow his words.

The moonlight fell on Lao Zhou's back, casting a long shadow that resembled an unbreakable barrier, completely extinguishing Lu Yu's intention to use the Source Tracing True Vision tonight.

He clenched the rune in his palm. Although he was unwilling, he knew that Old Zhou was protecting him and guarding the secret of the old house. He could only turn around and walk home in a huff.

The night wind carried the decaying smell of the old house, mixed with the crisp scent of sycamore leaves, and blew against Lu Yu's face. Lu Yu's mind was still heavy with doubts.

Back home, Lu Yu quietly washed up and lay down on the bed. A wave of exhaustion washed over him, and his consciousness quickly sank into the Myriad Dao Hub.

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, Lu Yu noticed something amiss.

The path changes inside the Rubik's Cube compass are different from before, and are more complex and mysterious than before.