Pov: Vik
Glitching this word hit me, and as I reacted to my changing surroundings, everything started to blur. It felt like I was experiencing a malfunction in virtual reality, reminding me of the idea of the whole world being a matrix. Soon, everything I knew faded into a complete white space, which resembled the source of creation. I thought about why I hadn't listened to the system's advice.
This Maya manifestation technique may have sent me to another dimension. Fearing this, I tried to reach out to the system, calling out, "System, hey System!" I repeated it many times, but I received no response, as if I were alone in this place.
I found myself in a serious situation again after using my outrageous techniques. For the first time, I felt nervous and scared, not because of the white space but because my disciples were still facing those ancestors who could crush them. The system had always warned me that my techniques were dangerous, but I had ignored those warnings. First, the strange fire that burned a whole portion of the world, and now this Maya manifestation technique, which had literally transported me to an empty dimension.
Thinking about my disciples, I decided to stop the technique. I looked around for a way out, but despite my efforts, nothing worked. This place was a complete void of white. It was time to use a more forceful method. Without wasting any time, I summoned my strange fire, and thankfully, it appeared in my hand as a candle flame. However, despite my control, I couldn't use it to escape. Nothing was working; my cultivation and all three power systems felt useless here.
Feeling helpless, I resumed what I had stopped earlier. Calming my mind, I went through another session of the Maya manifestation technique, but nothing happened. I did not give up and continued until I reached the last step. I shouldn't have cultivated an incomplete technique, but now that I had, I had no choice but to fully circulate the first form. Unlike other techniques, this one had no instructions, which is why I couldn't teach it to my disciples.
This technique could only be experienced or read by one's consciousness, and its cultivation method only revealed itself after starting the first step or deciding to cultivate it. Now that I think about it, I didn't even know how I had turned a simple illusion technique into something so mysterious.
This technique was a clear warning. How could I have missed this before? Now that I was in the white space, everything became clear. What had I been doing? First, I got reincarnated and used some extraordinary power to summon a strange flame that could burn reality, then I bound a system, took on disciples, made them powerful, improved myself, and turned ordinary techniques into top-tier abilities.
Reflecting on everything since my reincarnation, one thought struck me. I had been following the storyline of an overpowered protagonist. Until now, I had tried to escape while acting like one, even after the system told me I was the chosen one. I did not take it seriously and tried to forge my own fate, but everything felt like a pre-written story.
While I was lamenting all this, a large amount of information flooded my mind as I completed the final step of the Maya manifestation technique. This technique allowed me to think clearly without interference from any heavens or fate. In this white space, I finally saw that everything up to this point could be called a predetermined path.
As if in response to my thoughts, the white space changed, and a window opened in front of me. At first, I thought it was my system window and that the system was finally back. But soon, I realized it was more like a television, showing a scene. My disciples were facing the Lin Family ancestors and their army, while Lin Yang was performing a nearly complete ritual with Lin Chen. I saw myself standing in front of my disciples, protecting them.
How was I here? Was this another glitch? How could I be in two places at once? I thought my consciousness might have traveled to this scene, leaving my body behind. But that thought faded when I saw myself moving. I fought the ancestors, despite being one realm below them, but somehow I managed to keep up. Watching myself fight felt like a movie where the hero takes on villains against the odds.
Then, a miracle happened. I broke through to the next realm in the middle of the fight, fully dominating the ancestors. My disciples also weren't idle; they used this moment to thwart Lin Yang's ritual, ultimately leading to the deaths of both Lin Yang and Lin Chen, even as Lin Chen took Lin Yang's life in death.
Afterward, my story continued playing out before me on that screen. I saw myself embarking on many adventures with more disciples. My story was incredible. I taught many disciples, helping them become powerful figures in history. My life took many turns, including encounters that led to me having multiple wives. Among them, I recognized one, a lady named Kalina, whom I met outside the registration office.
Ignoring that, I focused on my unfolding story as I continued taking on new adventures, moving through realms, ascending to higher levels, and gaining strength while taking on disciples. I even married some of my female disciples. My journey continued until I reached the pinnacle of existence, becoming what everyone called the Snake God.
Looking at all this, I wondered if this was my fate and how my story progressed. No! My fate can't be dictated by someone else; I should be the one determining it. My fate had already diverged from its original path. How? Because I didn't see myself using that strange flame even once in the story, nor did I see any mention of my cute cat Pushpa.
Then, another wave of information flooded my mind, and I finally understood the core function of this technique. The word Maya itself means reality and illusion, showing me every false state of reality and manifesting the truth. This was just one of its functions, but for now, I didn't need to delve deeper; this was enough.
I closed my eyes and recited what I had learned from this experience.
"My words are truth."
My body is not."
"My story may end."
"But this world is false. This world is false."
My words echoed around me as I opened my eyes to find myself back in my world, still facing those ancestors who stared at me, stunned by my words. I smiled, knowing that I had uncovered at least one of the truths of this world, or at least about myself.