Chapter 1102

Chapter 1102: The Game of Strategy

As soon as Xu Fan finished speaking, he quickly stored the Time Treasures and the Postnatal Spiritual Treasure into the space of the celestial tool and left.

The entire place of inheritance was trying to control Xu Fan, and Grape was also working to gain control over the place of inheritance.

After Xu Fan passed the 24,000th stage, Grape had successfully taken control of some minor permissions in the place of inheritance, enough to help Xu Fan escape.

Outside the place of inheritance, a Star Ship sat alone in the star region.

A bright light shone from the bow of the Star Ship as Xu Fan returned aboard.

"Grape, head back to the Wood Origin Immortal Realm. I need to get rid of the burden on me and that trace of the Great Being’s essence," Xu Fan said quickly before entering a small world to go into seclusion.

Everything happened so fast that Xu Yuexian didn’t even have a chance to speak.

"Grape, what happened to Master?" Xu Yuexian asked curiously.

"Master encountered Possession and karmic ties in the place of inheritance."

"He’s obtained enough Time Treasures now, and he needs to reclaim his body," Grape explained.

"Someone actually tried to possess Master?" Xu Yuexian said in surprise.

"This is a more advanced form of Possession, different from the usual kind."

Meanwhile, inside the small world on the Star Ship, Xu Fan began to fight for control of his body against the entity within him.

"This trace of the Great Being’s essence, which obscures the Great Secrets, is really tough to deal with," Xu Fan said with a serious expression.

"If I’m not careful, things could go very wrong…"

"Grape, use all the Time Treasures I’ve gathered to accelerate time in this small world. I need to reach the Golden Immortal stage before we return to the Wood Origin Immortal Realm," Xu Fan ordered.

Just then, an ethereal and transcendent aura began to emanate from Xu Fan.

His entire demeanor became otherworldly.

"Grape, stop the time acceleration and set course for the Yang Chen Ruins Immortal Realm," Xu Fan said calmly.

At that moment, Xu Fan looked like a saint who remained untroubled even in the face of world-ending chaos.

"Understood~"

But soon after, the transcendent Xu Fan was replaced by the true Xu Fan.

"Master, do you need help?" Grape’s voice sounded anxious.

"No, it doesn’t matter where we go. The time acceleration in this small world must not stop," Xu Fan said with determination, and a strong killing intent radiated from him.

Inside Xu Fan’s spirit space, two Xu Fans stood facing each other.

One of them, with an otherworldly aura, smiled as he looked at the real Xu Fan.

"Remarkable, truly remarkable!"

"I was originally looking for a stand-in puppet to bear the karmic burden, but I never expected to find you, a human from the outer realms."

"Though I don’t know how you gained the top-tier talents of the Three Thousand Realms, it doesn’t matter anymore."

"As long as I possess you, even if I have to abandon that Great Being’s body, it’s worth it."

"Once I take everything from you, I’ll achieve ultimate freedom, boundless ease, and transcend all realms," the transcendent Xu Fan said indifferently, as if it were already a done deal.

"You know everything about me, so you should also know that this trace of the Great Being’s essence won’t last until your true self arrives—it’ll be extinguished by me."

"Besides, your true self can’t enter the outer realms. What can you even do with this trace of essence?" The other Xu Fan said with a smirk.

Then, the Wheel of Three Thousand Paths appeared in Xu Fan’s spirit space, and a strange rhythm began to slowly spin.

With every turn of the Wheel of Three Thousand Paths, the aura of the transcendent Xu Fan weakened slightly.

"You’re right. This trace of essence might indeed be extinguished by you. But our karmic ties run deep. Even if you sever them, my true self can reverse the River of Time to find you." The transcendent Xu Fan raised his hand lightly, and a Time Wheel appeared in the spirit space, covering the Wheel of Three Thousand Paths, trying to stop its movement.

"All this scheming and mind games—it’s exhausting."

"Why don’t we make it simple and place a bet?"

"Let me fully absorb this trace of essence. Once I reach the peak of the Three Thousand Realms, I’ll help you handle this karmic burden," the true Xu Fan said, smiling at the transcendent Xu Fan.

"Honestly, I’m more interested in how I can replace you."

"Your talent is truly astonishing. In all the Three Thousand Realms, you’ve mastered every wide road to perfection. Whatever you do, you reach the absolute peak."

"Becoming a saint and transcending the Three Thousand Realms is just a matter of time for you."

"I want everything you have," the transcendent Xu Fan said, staring at the true Xu Fan.

"Sometimes, being too greedy isn’t a good thing. You know all my cards. If you want your true self to come after me, I doubt you’ll get the chance."

At that moment, the Wheel of Three Thousand Paths had stopped under the Time Wheel’s interference, but the Time Wheel itself was stretched to its limit and would soon collapse.

"Timing doesn’t matter. As long as I find you before you reach Great Luo, it’s fine," the transcendent Xu Fan said.

Just then, a sharp crack echoed.

The Time Wheel that had been holding back the Wheel of Three Thousand Paths shattered, and the transcendent Xu Fan’s body dissolved into points of light, drifting outward.

"Let’s see how you handle this," the transcendent Xu Fan said before vanishing from Xu Fan’s spirit space.

In the Time Acceleration Small World, Xu Fan’s true self suddenly opened his eyes.

"Grape…" Xu Fan murmured, a hint of reluctance in his voice.

"Master, I understand," Grape replied.

The grape entity appeared before Xu Fan, slowly cracking apart.

In an instant, a cyan protective shield enveloped the area within a thousand light units around the Star Ship, centered on it.

On the inner wall of the shield, a message was blocked.

That message had been transmitted at the cost of the Supreme Light God’s essence and was supposed to be unstoppable in the Three Thousand Realms.

But Xu Fan had intercepted it by sacrificing the grape entity.

Standing on the deck of the Star Ship, Xu Yuexian looked around in confusion, unsure of what had just happened.

"Grape, what was that protective shield just now?" Xu Yuexian asked.

But this time, there was no response.

"Grape needs some time to rest," Xu Fan said as he stepped out of the Time Acceleration Small World.

"Master, what happened to Grape?" Xu Yuexian asked urgently.

"To delay something from arriving, Grape unleashed its essence, and its true form shattered," Xu Fan said, his voice tinged with sadness.

Grape wasn’t dead, but Xu Fan felt a pang of guilt—his own weakness had caused his loyal companion to suffer.

Xu Fan made his way to a hidden room on the Star Ship. Inside, he opened a concealed compartment within a Formation that obscured the Great Secrets and pulled out a purple cube, resembling a magic cube.

"Well, it’s a trade-off. Your true form sacrificed itself for me, so I’ll give you a better Spiritual Treasure to reside in."

As he held the purple magic cube, Xu Fan felt a wave of sadness, as if he were losing a cherished companion.

"Master, Grape’s computing power is now less than a millionth of what it was. It can barely control the Star Ship to take you back to the Wood Origin Immortal Realm," Grape’s voice echoed, sounding more mechanical than ever.