"Fú Shēng Xuán Huáng Tiān Zūn." As he heard the voices clearly emerging from the gray-white mist, Kline slightly trembled, and a sudden numbness spread instantly from the back of his head throughout his entire body. This sensation rapidly traveled upward to his head and diffused through every part of his body, causing tiny bumps to rise on the surface of his skin. This was the second time in the real world that he had heard the name "Fú Shēng Xuán Huáng Tiān Zūn" spoken by someone else—his first encounter had been through Amen, who had merely whispered it into his thoughts, without fully grasping its meaning or truly mastering the incantation. Thus, in essence, this was truly his first time hearing it. On the edge of the legendary "West Continent," beyond the place where his homeland had vanished, Kline first heard the incantation that had caused his journey across dimensions, heard the most significant secret hidden deep within his own heart, and heard the enigmatic Eastern title—its destination still unknown.
He stood there, his mind nearly blank, the sounds of chanting and calling—sometimes fuzzy, sometimes clear—echoing in his ears:
"Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun...
'Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun...'
'Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun...'"
As these voices gradually faded and nearly disappeared, Kline finally regained his thoughts.
As a pseudo-divinity who had done many things he felt guilty about, his first thought was:
"Have I brought divine retribution upon myself by changing 'Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun' to 'The Yellow-Black King Who Rules Good Fortune'?"
When he originally established the three-part title for 'The Fool,' the first part described his own experiences and condition. At that time, believing it was a matter of transition and fearing exposure of his flaws, he had changed 'The Fool from another world' to 'The Fool not belonging to this age,' only to reveal his true nature. The second part linked the gray mist to 'The Source Fortress,' making the connection more precise.
To fully specify and eliminate any ambiguity, Kline directly rendered the final line of the incantation—“Fú Shēng Xuán Huáng Tiān Zūn”—in the third paragraph. He originally thought this was unremarkable. Later, however, he began to suspect that the previous owner of the extraordinary light gate within the Yuán Bǎo, the very one that had presumably led to his own transition, was precisely “Fú Shēng Xuán Huáng Tiān Zūn,” or perhaps a being wearing a distinctly Eastern guise. Of course, it was also possible that “Fú Shēng Xuán Huáng Tiān Zūn” was the true essence, having later adopted a more contemporary form—though Kline still couldn’t determine exactly what that form might be. Since he had never heard the title “Fú Shēng Xuán Huáng Tiān Zūn” outside of his own reality, he remained skeptical, cautious, and even fearful, yet ultimately did not give it much weight—seemingly having grown accustomed to it.
Yet at this very moment, each utterance of "Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun" struck him like a series of naval artillery salvos, continuously pounding upon his heart and mind, forcing his subconscious worries and fears to surge forth. Calming himself, Caine began to force himself to think rationally about the present situation:
"Is this chant emanating from within the gray-white mist, or originating from the vanished 'West Continent'?
I always suspected that the hue and condition of this mist closely resemble those beneath the 'Source Fortress'—its power drawn from 'history'? Does it require the precise strength of the temporal domain to be activated?
High Xishinam, the 'Queen of the Cataclysm,' once said that when the end comes, the West Continent will surely reappear. That means only when time reaches that specific point will this gray-white mist awaken, and only then will it be possible to open it through the appropriate incantation?"
Who caused the disappearance, sealing, or protective isolation of the 'West Continent'—was it the 'Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun,' possibly the former lord of the 'Yuan堡'? According to various accounts, the 'Yuan堡' and the other eight entities were originally left behind by the First Creator, representing different parts of His body or objects crafted by Him personally. Is the 'Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun' equivalent to the former lord of the 'Yuan堡,' and thus to the First Creator? Yet, the 'Yuan堡' came into existence only after the First Creator's division, and furthermore, the incantations of the 'Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun' can only affect the 'Yuan堡' itself, not the 'Chaos Sea' or other regions. Additionally, the disappearance of the West Continent must have occurred well before the Second Era—even the ancient deity King Suniasholem, the Elven King, was unable to return to his homeland. Therefore, during the turbulent and chaotic First Era, and even prior to that, during the period when the First Creator began to split off the 'Chaos Sea' and the 'Yuan堡,' before the emergence
These events led to the disappearance of the Western Continent—how could the former lord of the Source Citadel have vanished? "The prophecy of the ancient Sun God, the creator of the Silver City, is quite intriguing—it foretold that people would emerge from within this gray-white mist, so they sent representatives to settle in the Moon City and remain here. Strictly speaking, I myself emerged from the gray-white mist of the Western Continent, though I left the Western Continent to enter the Source Citadel—long before the ancient Sun God's prophecy, I actually left the mist in the year 1349, in Runa. 'Ah, after all these twists and turns, I've come back here once again, and now I've met the people of the Moon City. The ancient Sun God's prophecy has truly come true—though the journey has been winding and the manner of fulfillment has been surprisingly unexpected.'" As Klein reflected, his mood gradually brightened, for the current situation and his intuitive spiritual sense told him that the Western Continent, separated by the gray-white mist, still harbored civilization and that many people were still alive.
"The way in which the Western Continent vanished reminds me of the 'Master of Miracles' ritual, combined with the power of time and space—primarily found in the 'Apprentice' and 'Thief' paths. So, does the former owner of 'The Source Fortress,' 'Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun,' truly correspond to these three closely related paths?" Kline settled his scattered thoughts and took two steps forward. He then turned to the Moon City High Priest Nym and others, saying, "I've heard the voices clearly." "What are they saying?" Nym's gray eyes suddenly widened, and the lines etched across his face revealed an unmistakable surge of excitement. Adal, Xin, and Rous reacted similarly, even more intensely. Their bodies visibly trembled. This had been a question troubling the Moon City's residents for over a thousand years—now, resolving this mystery had become a symbol of their hope to break free from their current circumstances!
Klein quietly inhaled, speaking in a theatrical tone: "They are praying to our Lord." This was no lie—after all, as the 'Fool,' he had already begun to grasp the essence of the Source Citadel, and his final title, "The King of Good Fortune, of Yellow and Black," was equivalent to "The Sovereign of Prosperity, the Heavenly Lord of Yin and Yang." Nym and the others fell silent, now gazing at Klein with clear respect and growing awe. As they witnessed the miracles he had performed, they gradually began to see him as a savior. Klein glanced around, then spoke calmly: "You all step back at least a hundred meters." "Certainly, Your Grace, Spalro," the high priest Nym replied without hesitation. Once the extraordinary members of the Moon City had retreated to a sufficient distance, Klein extended his right hand into the void and swiftly pulled out a version of himself—his physical form then vanished. Immediately thereafter, the historical image of Klein moved forward to the area of the still-gray, white mist and extended his right hand, pressing it gently upon it.
There seemed to be an invisible barrier, slightly cool to the touch, separating everything. After gazing for two seconds, Caine opened his mouth, speaking softly in Mandarin:
"Fu sheng xuan huang tian zun."
The sound echoed, yet the gray-white mist showed no reaction—still motionless, still frozen.
He waited nearly a minute, then took a deep breath and recited again:
"Fu sheng xuan huang xian zun;
Fu sheng xuan huang tian jun;
Fu sheng xuan huang shang di;
Fu sheng xuan huang tian zun."
This was the complete incantation of the ritual of fortune transfer.
As the final character settled, Caine's right hand, pressed against the invisible barrier, suddenly felt a distinct tremor.
The gray mist began to ripple, as though a large stone had been dropped into a lake.
The ripples spread swiftly, overlapping one another, gradually forming the outline of a "door" before Caine's eyes.
A lightning bolt streaked across the sky, illuminating the scene, and the observers on the nearby Moon City, the extraordinary beings, widened their eyes, unable to look away. To those who had never witnessed such a spectacle before, the effect was profoundly stirring, their minds shaken beyond control. In their eyes, this was unquestionably a miracle.
Exhaling, Caine plucked a gold coin from the void and used the method of divination to confirm that the complete ritual had unfolded exactly as he had intended. Truly, was it not yet time, had the end not yet come? Caine gazed steadily at the gray-white mist ahead, motionless for several minutes. It was only when a lightning bolt split the sky and illuminated his face that he turned, carrying the lantern, and walked toward the great priest of the Moon City, Nim. With a calm voice, he began: "The precise time foretold in the prophecy for its opening has not yet arrived—there are still over a decade until then." Without waiting for responses from Nim or Adal, Caine pointed with his right hand toward the darkness nearby: "I will remain here to meditate and cultivate for some time. Should you wish to experience the light of the Divine and hear its teachings, come at any time during the periods of frequent lightning. I will perform one purification and healing ritual each day, especially during the peak of the lightning activity."
He didn't try to convert the people of the Lunar City nor did he intend to go directly there or seek specific information—leaving them ample room for adjustment. The High Priest Nym of the Lunar City breathed a quiet sigh of relief and responded with growing reverence, "I will relay your words to all."