Versatile Mage

Chapter 3163  The Hidden Heaven

Since there was no way to escape, there was no point in resisting.

Mo Fan gritted his teeth. The appearance of the Divine Wood Well was strange and beyond comprehension. Being the one to lead the humans, he could not allow something so mysterious to exist.

As the Divine Wood Well expanded, Mo Fan closed his eyes.

The sandstorm spirits were not as calm as Mo Fan. They had never seen anything like this before. Even though they were fearless beings, they sensed danger from the Divine Wood Well and tried to run away.

However, escaping was impossible. The sandstorm spirits were inexperienced. They should have done what Mo Fan did—stay still and calmly wait for death.

Time passed slowly.

By the time Mo Fan opened his eyes again, the sandstorm spirits had stopped screaming. He was not sure if they had been scattered into different unknown realms or if they had been completely wiped out.

Seeing the familiar "faces" again, Mo Fan forced a smile.

He was not sure if a friendly greeting would work.

Although Mo Fan seemed calm, experienced, brave, and ready to explore further, he felt like a scared kid about to spend the night in a graveyard. He had to step forth, but he was very uneasy.

His determined look did not stop his heart from racing.

Mo Fan also realized that gaining more power did not make him any less afraid of the Divine Wood Well.

People often said that all fear came from not being strong enough.

Mo Fan used to think that too. He had believed that with his current level, he would not be as scared as before. But after he experienced the Divine Wood Well's eerie aura again, he realized that his great power was useless there.

It was as if advanced weapons and powerful magic spells were ineffective in the place.

"Hee hee…"

Mo Fan heard laughter. It came from white leaves that resembled strange smiling faces. Even though they made no noise, Mo Fan felt like he could hear them laughing.

"You're back again. This time, you have to stay here forever."

Despite being vines, flowers, and grass, they seemed conscious. Even stranger, they engaged in conversation with Mo Fan.

"Excuse me. May I know who I'm speaking to? I've just wandered in here by mistake. I have no ill intentions," Mo Fan said politely.

He saw an old woman smiling in the graveyard, so it was best to be polite.

"We're waiting for you."

Mo Fan heard the voice again.

What did "we're waiting for you" mean?

Were they waiting for him to die?

Honestly, this eerie feeling was really uncomfortable. Mo Fan needed to control the restlessness in his heart.

He took a deep breath and remained calm.

He told himself not to let these illusions bother him. He just had to think of the situation as eating undercooked poisonous mushrooms.

"Everyone is waiting for you.

"Relax…"

Mo Fan nodded. There was indeed no need to be nervous.

Without ever experiencing death, how could he know if living was not worse?

It was a thought that suddenly popped into his mind. The next moment, he returned to his senses and felt a chilling shock.

What the heck?!

How could he have such thoughts?!

Could the Divine Wood Well control someone's mind?

Mo Fan hit his head with great force.

He could not allow himself to be influenced!

He had to follow his own path!

Mo Fan knew the eerie forest was just the wall of the well.

There was water below.

It looked like a lake covered with thin ice, but it took the form of a crystal. However, the water beneath the surface was not still. It could crawl up like a living thing and swallow people up.

That was how Zhao Jing died. He perished miserably and helplessly. It was pointless no matter how he struggled.

"Mo Fan, you're here.

"We've been waiting for you for a long time."

Suddenly, a tall figure stood above the dark water. Mo Fan would never forget that well-defined face—it was Chief Military Instructor Zhan Kong, the hero Mo Fan admired!

Mo Fan stood by the well, and the sight shocked him.

"Chief Military Instructor…"

Mo Fan remembered how Zhan Kong had appeared frozen underwater like a wax figure. But at this moment, he was standing on the water's surface and giving Mo Fan a warm greeting.

Had he come to this unique world instead of dying?

There was no heaven in this world, but there was hell.

However, this was just Mo Fan's assumption. What if there really was a heaven?

Could the Divine Wood Well, which gathered shadows of the dead, be heaven?

It was not a trap set by demons but a garden of gods!

Mo Fan then walked toward the water.

He felt like he had glimpsed the Divine Wood Well's true form. The water was not cold anymore. It was warm like that of a hot spring. Mo Fan began to realize that he had been narrow-minded. It never occurred to him that the Divine Wood Well was also showing kindness to humans.

It was similar to a museum collecting traces of human civilization to prove human existence.

The Divine Wood Well had collected many shadows of the dead to convey a will for life to continue.

"The gods' album."

Previously, Mo Fan had only seen a small part of the Divine Wood Well. He was too inexperienced to understand why there were so many bodies of various states of death piled up underwater.

Mo Fan was beginning to understand it better.

"Come. Take a deeper look. Face everything directly, and don't be afraid. Study each of their faces carefully," the Chief Military Instructor told Mo Fan.

Mo Fan stood on the water and looked down again.

There were still layers of bodies. Some were familiar to him while others had unfamiliar faces.

"Take a closer look, especially at those you don't recognize," the Chief Military Instructor said again.

Mo Fan did not want to see the dead faces of people he knew either. Besides, this thing could also display his own death.

He carefully examined the unfamiliar faces.

"I think… I've seen this person before," Mo Fan said.

"Take your time to think about it."

"It was in Seal City. On our way to rescue Xinxia, I saw someone crying for help. With tasks to complete and limited strength, all I could do was watch as she was attacked and killed," Mo Fan recalled. He was surprised at how vivid the memory had become.

"Who else?"

"This person also seems familiar. He was one of the officers who surrounded me at the desolated city with Lu Nian," Mo Fan said.

"What about the others?"

"I feel like I've seen most of them at least once. They seem to be people I've crossed paths with, but I may not necessarily remember them well," Mo Fan answered.

Mo Fan was extremely surprised.

The first time he stood there, he only saw faces he recognized.

He could not bear to see the faces of people he deeply cared about and loved resembling lifeless wax figures before him. But what shocked him even more was realizing that these unfamiliar people with bizarre deaths were individuals he had met before.

He had unknowingly encountered many people who were destined to meet unnatural ends. His mind had chosen to forget them, so he never paid much attention to their fates.

"I understand that you fear this place. What you saw back then made you feel like you stumbled upon hell," the Chief Military Instructor said.

"I misunderstood. I'm sorry," Mo Fan apologized with shame.

"So, what do you think this place is?" the Chief Military Instructor asked.

"It's a place I never thought existed—heaven. Heaven isn't about peace and beauty. It's about being able to reflect on your own life, face death calmly, accept it, and embrace eternal existence like this," Mo Fan said earnestly.

"Very good. Now, look down again. Gaze into the water and look at yourself," the Chief Military Instructor said.

Mo Fan did as he was told.

The water was so clear that it could reflect his image.

Yet, there was a "wax figure" of himself instead.

He remembered how painful it was the first time he saw his lifeless "wax figure." He felt like a scared and helpless child, who was overwhelmed with fear.

This time, however, his dead figure lay calmly underwater. He appeared serene and at peace, with hands folded over his chest. It was as if he was holding someone he loved. There were no regrets, just acceptance of fate.

"Why?"

"You used to fear aging and death. Naturally, the Divine Wood Well showed you your end," the Chief Military Instructor said.

"And now…"

"Now, you accept everything calmly. You've fought against fate and cherished what you had. You understand that every strong person and ruler can't escape time and seek immortality. This has led to much evil and resentment. In the end, their fate is the same as the one you saw before," the Chief Military Instructor explained.

"I see." Mo Fan nodded.

The horrible image of his death from before had not been a result of defeat. It had been due to him begging time to let him live longer. This was a fate most extraordinary people could not escape.

As time passed, who would not feel like a desperate, helpless child? Who would not struggle and want to fight back?

So, he died of old age.

In the past, he resisted time, but he had changed to calmly embrace it.

"What about you?" Mo Fan suddenly asked.

"Me? Are you asking if I faced death calmly or if I was forced to leave this world?" the Chief Military Instructor replied.

"Yes. I want to know why you made that choice during the battle in Holy City. You could have changed everything," Mo Fan said.

"Because I saw this place before you and understood its true meaning earlier. I didn't leave. I chose to return my soul here," the Chief Military Instructor answered.

"Is the Divine Wood Well a hidden heaven?" Mo Fan asked.

The Chief Military Instructor nodded.

"I understand now. This place is beyond everything. But Chief Military Instructor, I have one last question," Mo Fan said.

The Chief Military Instructor smiled patiently.

"As your student, have I ever disappointed you?" Mo Fan asked.

The Chief Military Instructor was momentarily surprised, but he smiled again and replied, "Never."

"Thank you." Mo Fan finally received the answer he wanted to hear. He opened his arms, ready to merge with the water that was filled with shadows of the dead.

The Chief Military Instructor watched quietly and waited for Mo Fan's final moment. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Time passed slowly, and Mo Fan seemed lost in his memories.

He remained in that position for a long time, on the verge of falling but not actually falling.

Just as the Chief Military Instructor was about to question him, Mo Fan suddenly opened his eyes and stared at him. His tone changed from confused to determined and calm.

"Thank you. Even though I know you're not real, I appreciate you setting up this scenario for me," Mo Fan said to the Chief Military Instructor.

The Chief Military Instructor smiled but did not reply.

"But if you keep pretending to be the person I respect the most, I'll still get upset." Mo Fan's eyes began to glow with a gold light.

As the Chief Military Instructor stood there, he appeared clearly at times and blended into the shadows at others.

After a pause, the Chief Military Instructor grinned mysteriously and asked, "Are you sure you want to see my true form?"

"I kind of know who you really are," Mo Fan said.

"Tell me."

"I might call you the world's divine eye," Mo Fan replied.

"You're wrong."

"Oh? Then, what are you?"

"They are a part of me," said the Divine Wood Well.

Then, the Chief Military Instructor's figure turned into mist and drifted slowly across the lake to the other side.

Mo Fan looked up. Initially, his view was restricted, but as the water level in the well decreased, his field of vision expanded.

Mo Fan could sense that the Divine Wood Well's true identity was finally about to be revealed!