Accidentally Reincarnated in Cultivation World-Chapter 345: Enlightenment
What Happened...
Yu Xuan’s persona, whom he later named Book-Human went to the Chaos Heaven Peak with a purpose so simple it sounded absurd.
To read.
Not to cultivate.
Not to fight.
Not to scheme.
Just... to read.
Philosophy and culture.
Ancient lore and random histories.
Techniques both orthodox and unorthodox.
Plants, beasts, minerals, star charts, rituals, languages literally anything.
Thanks to Yu Xuan’s status and authority, this persona possessed access to the Great Heaven’s Library of the Heaven Immortal Sect.
It was there, buried among volumes most cultivators skipped entirely, that he found a thin, unassuming book.
Its title was simple.
Spirit Realm.
At first glance, it appeared academic – dry descriptions, fragmented theories, contradictory testimonies.
Yet the deeper he read, the more unsettled he became.
The Spirit Realm was not merely a "realm."
It was a layer of existence.
A vast, unseen plane overlapping all heavens, where ideas took form before reality acknowledged them.
Where concepts were born, refined, and sometimes erased.
Where Heaven-and-Earth spirits returned upon death, rather than descending to the Underworld like ordinary beings.
A place not meant for mortals.
And yet.
The book did not say it was impossible to enter.
Only that it was inadvisable.
Intrigued beyond reason, he decided to attempt a controlled experiment.
Because this persona was new, freshly created and not yet deeply integrated into society, Yu Xuan exercised extreme caution.
The ritual was performed in absolute isolation and he even asked his master for an isolation talisman.
And the ritual was not grand.
No great arrays.
No borrowed artifacts.
No external anchors.
Only symbols.
On the ground, Book-Human drew a circle using a symbolic language associated with the Spirit Realm, lines and curves that appeared unordered, irrational, almost meaningless to the eye.
Yet when viewed as a whole, they carried a subtle resonance, as if responding to something unseen.
And these symbols were not commands.
They were invitations.
Seated at the center of the circle, Book-Human calmed his mind and extended his spirit, allowing it to brush against the symbols which were carved from his own blood.
At first, nothing happened.
Then.
He felt a faint sensation, like gravity reversing.
His body grew distant.
Sound dulled.
Weight vanished.
When the outward pull finally took hold and he felt that he was having an out of body experience, the Book-Human opened his eyes.
And in the next instant, Book-Human realized something crucial.
He was no longer inside his body.
He had entered, the Spirit Realm.
At first glance, it was... strange.
Not hostile. Not welcoming.
Simply strange in a way that defied language.
Book-Human felt as though countless things were happening all around him – movements, exchanges, births, deaths, realizations, yet none of them could be seen.
It was like standing in the middle of an invisible storm, aware of the wind only because it pressed against his existence.
There was no sky.
No ground.
No distance.
Only presence.
Time did not pass in a familiar way.
He wandered if wandering was even the correct word in his spirit form, drifting through unseen layers.
With each passing moment, a faint pressure began to settle upon his spirit.
As though something was weighing him.
Judging whether he belonged.
Then he heard a sound.
Something gibberish.
Not spoken aloud, yet he heard it.
Words that were not words, syllables that refused to stabilize into meaning.
They brushed against his awareness, close far too close.
Book-Human concentrated, focusing every fragment of his spirit.
Yet even then, he could not see what was directly in front of him.
It was there.
He knew it was there.
And then.
Something looked back towards him.
Not accidentally.
Not passively.
Intentionally.
In that instant, Enlightenment looked at Book-Human.
No.
It looked past him.
It looked at Yu Xuan.
"Interesting..."
The voice did not echo. It did not resonate.
It simply existed.
There was a pause, then the voice continued.
"Haa... kids these days," Enlightenment sighed, sounding both amused and exasperated.
"I told you not to remember this again. Did you really think I wouldn’t remember you just because you thought about me twice?"
Its gaze, if it could be called that shifted.
Beyond the Spirit Realm.
Beyond Book-Human.
It observed Yu Xuan’s present self, standing amid demons, blood, lightning, and slaughter.
Then, with casual finality.
"Now shoo. Live your life." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
Something flicked.
Not Book-Human.
Not exactly.
A tiny nudge, impossibly light.
And in the real world, Yu Xuan staggered imperceptibly.
Cold sweat slid down his spine.
His eyes twitched.
His heart skipped a beat for no discernible reason.
His instinct screamed at him.
Do not think about this again.
Really not again.
He swallowed.
And for the first time in a long while.
Yu Xuan obeyed that instinct.
***
Mo Wen of the Mo race narrowed his eyes, his attention drawn to a particular figure on the battlefield.
At first glance, it looked exactly like Yu Xuan.
The same face.
The same build.
The same presence.
But the eyes.
Those eyes were dangerous.
They burned deep crimson carrying an eerie calm that made Mo Wen’s instincts scream. This was not the composed, calculating Yu Xuan he had been observing.
This one felt... unrestrained.
Mo Wen noticed it at the same moment Yu Xuan himself paused, just for a fraction of a breath. A lapse so small that most would never catch it.
Mo Wen did.
He prepared to strike, seizing the opening.
But then he felt it.
A gaze.
The red-eyed figure looked directly at him.
Mo Wen’s instincts reacted violently, warning him of the danger.
After Yu Xuan fully regain his composure, the figure with the demonic aura moved first.
The one later recognized – no, feared as Evil Xuan.
In a blur of motion, Evil Xuan appeared beside a massive bull-like demon. There was no technique, no flourish.
He simply reached out and tore the demon apart with his bare hands.
Flesh ripped. Bones shattered.
The bull demon didn’t even have time to scream before its body split open, blood and viscera spilling onto the ground.
Evil Xuan stared down at it with utter indifference, fingers closing around its exposed heart.
And that was when Mo Wen struck.
He lunged forward, his aura surging as he attacked Evil Xuan head-on.
Mo Wen did not hesitate.
He knew instinctively that if this entity was allowed to roam freely, their side would suffer catastrophic losses. This was not an opponent to observe, analyze, or test.
This was something that had to be stopped now.
Their clash shook the battlefield.
The moment their powers collided, a horrendous pressure erupted outward, crushing the air itself.
The ground cracked, space rippled, and several Tier Four experts nearby felt their scalps go numb with fear.
This was no ordinary confrontation.
And it didn’t stop there.
A chilling presence seeped into the surroundings.
Death Qi.
From behind Yu Xuan, a classic scythe materialized – curved, black, and dripping with an aura that made even demons recoil.
A tall, silent figure stepped forward, cloaked in death itself.
The Dead Persona.
Its voice echoed like a funeral bell ringing across countless worlds.
"Death to everyone."
Those simple words froze hearts.
And just like that.
The battlefield split into chaos.
And a great battle erupted.
***
"How about you switch sides?" Mo Wen called out calmly, even as his hands moved without pause.
From behind him, countless ghost wraiths tore free from the void.
Pale, shrieking things formed from resentment and lingering souls.
They surged forward like a tide, clawing and screaming as they rushed toward Evil Xuan.
In response, Evil Xuan’s killing intent erupted.
It was no longer an abstract pressure.
It became real.
Murderous will condensed into tangible phantoms.
Shadowy figures wielding blades, claws, and executioner’s tools.
They surged outward, colliding head-on with the ghost wraiths in a silent, horrifying massacre.
Souls were torn apart. Intent devoured resentment.
The battlefield briefly resembled a slaughterhouse of concepts rather than flesh.
Mo Wen continued, his voice steady, persuasive rather than hostile.
"I can tell at a glance you don’t belong here," he said.
"Is that man your brother? Did he enslave you? If so, I can help you take revenge."
He paused, watching Evil Xuan carefully.
"Or perhaps it’s something else. Power? Freedom? Resources? Authority?" Mo Wen spread his hands slightly.
"I can give you whatever you want."
Evil Xuan did not even look at him.
Instead, his gaze drifted past Mo Wen to where nearly thirty experts were desperately battling the Death Persona, their techniques crumbling one by one under the weight of pure death.
"I want everything," Evil Xuan replied flatly.
Then he tilted his head, red eyes locking back onto Mo Wen.
"But how can you give me everything?" he asked softly.
Mo Wen’s expression stiffened for the briefest instant.
Confusion flickered through his thoughts.
Why refuse?
No greed? No resentment? No desire for freedom?
’Is there a restriction? A binding so absolute that even the thought of betrayal is forbidden?’
His gaze sharpened.
’This talent... this existence it’s terrifying and we even somewhat match. If I could make it mine—’
But before Mo Wen could refine his thoughts, something shifted on the battlefield.
Losses began to mount, too quickly.
Demons fell one after another, their formations disturbed, their coordination collapsing in ways that made no tactical sense.
An additional ally had entered the fray, obviously on the demon’s side.
Quietly. Efficiently.
No one noticed at first.
After all, amidst Evil Xuan’s slaughter and the Death Persona’s harvest, who would spare attention for something so subtle?
It was only later, far too late that they would realize the truth.
Their downfall was being accelerated not by brute force.
But by the handiwork of a professional scammer.
