At this point, I don't believe that everything I've seen is an illusion.

I brought that Tibetan book with me to find Zhang Yuan, and he was surprised by my sudden appearance on the weekend.

I mentioned the pictures I sent him yesterday afternoon, but he said he didn't receive any picture messages.

He showed me his phone, and the conversation on it was like this:

【May 13th, 2:55 PM】

Yang Fan: [Please help me translate this.]

Zhang Yuan: [?]

However, on my phone, it showed that the pictures were sent successfully.

Zhang Yuan looked at the pictures and guessed that certain words might be prohibited, making it impossible to send them through the internet.

I handed him my phone, and he said some of the characters looked like Sanskrit. He needed to look up information in order to translate accurately.

For safety reasons, I didn't give Zhang Yuan the yellow paper with the strange pattern on it because that pattern was too eerie. I was afraid he would follow in my footsteps.

After more than half an hour, Zhang Yuan came out of the study with a serious expression. "Where did you get this thing?"

I told him the truth and asked him what he had discovered.

"Stars return to their positions, the divine mother descends, sacrifice the physical body, divine gift, ascend to paradise, never die." He spoke slowly, "These are typical cult phrases."

The divine mother descends...

Wu Yan has mentioned the word "descend" more than once.

I didn't answer Zhang Yuan's question. Instead, I urged him to explain the content of the Tibetan book to me.

Although Zhang Yuan was somewhat displeased, we had been good friends for many years, and he didn't refuse my request.

However, as Zhang Yuan flipped through two pages, his brow furrowed tighter and tighter. I was anxious, but he seemed oblivious.

After a long time, he closed the book and muttered with a vacant gaze, "This is impossible! It's fabricated... definitely fabricated."

Seeing that the situation was not good, I hurriedly slapped him to wake him up.

Upon my repeated requests, Zhang Yuan finally told me the contents of the book.

His voice revealed a fear masked by forced calmness. "It was millions of years ago when an ancient deity descended upon the Earth. He mated with the species existing on Earth at that time and gave birth to offspring. These offspring thrived in harsh environments and evolved over a long period of time, forming races and cultures. However, 65 million years ago, a small asteroid collided with Earth, causing the extinction of most species."

Zhang Yuan paused for a long time, "But some species survived, including certain reptiles. After millions of years of reproduction and adaptation to the changing Earth environment, they evolved vertebrae, limbs, and tails... It was then that the deity descended once again, bestowing divinity upon these species and proclaiming that when the time was right, he would descend again. At that time, he would take his offspring with him."

I had a vague guess, but it was too shocking. I opened my mouth several times but couldn't make a sound.

Zhang Yuan nodded, "The species bestowed with divinity and the later appearance of species, namely primates, mated again. After countless generations, the divinity in the offspring became diluted, but compared to species with almost no divinity, they became extraordinary."

"According to the records in this book, in order to obtain divinity, one must sacrifice the physical body. However, not all species can withstand the impact of divinity. Most sacrificed species die, but a very few succeed and become gods among humans...

"The snake-bodied goddess Nüwa, the four-faced Yellow Emperor, the three-headed and six-armed Nezha, and those fierce and evil gods who are different from ordinary humans... they are all products of hybridization!"

I suddenly thought of the illusions I had seen in Erlang Temple. Could it be that Erlang Shen was originally a person with weak divinity, sacrificing himself to obtain higher divinity but ultimately failing? That's why his body was left in that small mountain.

My years of materialism had received the most powerful blow.

And Zhang Yuan's voice continued, "With the birth of more and more species without divinity, there have been several wars between so-called gods and humans. In the end, for the peace ofboth species, a pact was made. The gods would reside in a parallel world, known as the Heavenly Realm, while humans would stay in the mortal world."

"The book also mentions a method to communicate with the gods. It involves specific rituals and offerings to attract their attention and receive their guidance. However, it warns that these rituals should not be taken lightly, as the consequences can be severe."

Zhang Yuan looked at me with a mix of worry and curiosity. "Why are you so interested in all of this? Do you really believe in these ancient legends?"

I couldn't find the words to answer him. The truth was, I wasn't sure what to believe anymore. The events unfolding around me, the illusions, the strange occurrences—they all seemed to point to something beyond the realm of ordinary understanding.

After a long silence, Zhang Yuan sighed. "If you really want to pursue this path, be cautious. The boundaries between worlds are not easily crossed, and delving into the realm of gods can have dire consequences. It's a path of uncertainty and danger."

I thanked Zhang Yuan for his help and left his house deep in thought.

The revelations from the Tibetan book and Zhang Yuan's words resonated within me. Was it possible that there was a hidden world beyond our perception, a realm where gods and humans coexisted?

I couldn't shake off the feeling that there was more to discover, more to understand. And whether it was an illusion or not, I needed to find Wu Yan and uncover the truth behind these mysteries.