Chapter 24: The Truth

In endless darkness,

An old man with a tall and bony body was floating aimlessly without any clothes. His wrinkled face was peaceful, while his murky eyes were staring into the dark void without blinking.

This old man was none other than Jacob in his actual old frame before his sudden death.

'So, it was just a dream, after all.' He thought bitterly, 'I have really outdone myself in creating such a reality like a dream... sigh... death... death... death... I wasn't able to escape you in the end, even in my dreams, heh.

'I always wonder; was life so weak that it can't even win against death? Now I got my answer... life and death. They said they both have two sides of a coin... but it's wrong, it's indeed a coin, but you didn't have the luxury to flip this coin because it's constantly flipping endlessly until it eventually fell and stopped.

'In the end, the side of death always wins... the period it took while flipping is the life which will come to an end, but it still gave false, painful hope that it will fall on the side of life, but the truth is there isn't a life on any side of this coin only death and misery....'

'Hahahaha...'

At this moment, Jacob's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by an eerily laughter, which frightened him.

'What? I'm hallucinating again?' Jacob thought.

That eerily voice spoke this time, "Well said, old brat, well said! Equal life and death cycle are just bullshit. There's only endless death and fleeting life. There's just no comparison!"

Jacob's mind jolted this time. He finally understood he wasn't hallucinating because he could clearly hear this voice inside his head, and he didn't seem to move his body at all. It was the same feeling he felt when affected by the parasite gem, but it was far more horrible!

He shouted in his mind, "Who are you?!"

The eerily voice playfully replied, "What, you already forget that you're the one who awakened me!"

Jacob's mind trembled when he heard this, suddenly remembered the mysterious white book, and promptly asked, "You're the Immortal Making Journal?"

"Hahaha..." The eerily laugh rang again before it said playfully, "That name was just to trick everyone. That's not my true form!"

Jacob felt a chill all over his body when he heard this and questioned with an unfriendly voice, "So, it wasn't a dream, but why did you want to trick others? Are you a ghost that wants to possess me?"

Jacob wasn't an idiot, and he knew if this thing wanted to trick others, then this meant it wasn't something good, so he quickly raised his guard.

The eerily voice replied with a hint of disdain, "Of course, to find a worthy successor that can inherit me. But alas, those fools can never condense the Immortal Mark and always end up dying by walking on the wrong path."

Jacob was shocked by this sudden realization and asked, "So, you're saying that Immortal Making Journal was just a big test that no one could pass?"

"Yes, the first two parts, 'Heart Changing' and 'Blood Changing,' were a kind of test to see if the other could condense an Immortal Mark which would awake me, but alas, those inferior beings were just too talentless and never able to awake me.

"Some of them thought these words were empty, and they were afraid to change their heart because it sounded too unrealistic and dangerous. Very few believed my incarnation words and tried it, but almost 99% died because they had a very weak soul.

"You see, in my endless years of existence, only ten beings could condense the Immortal Mark, but those idiots didn't have the courage or patience until I woke up, and they always either threw my incarnation away or didn't wear the Infinity Pendant.

"All because they thought I was too suspicious or when they felt the pain of immortal mark drilling through their hearts, they become even more determined that I'm harming them. One of them even threw away the Infinity Pendant once after calling it ugly, and that ugly swine died cluelessly after following my incarnation's third modification.

"She didn't know the pendant will always return to me, no matter what and where it was. That arrogant swine deserved to die, nevertheless.

"The last one was even more excessive, and that little lizard even dared to seal me with a ghost-eradicating talisman and then buried me deep underground. That fool was just too damn hateful. It even tried to burn me and then decomposed me. But he has no idea that the great me can't be destroyed even if he awakened his ancestors, humph!"

Jacob was completely speechless after hearing such truth and couldn't help but feel this book was just too arrogant and unrealistic. But he has no way to retort it since he knew this book was unearthed by Decker's party and heard its last phase. It was clear it was telling the truth.

He also knew this 'Infinity Pendant' was the same pendant hanging around his neck, and he finally remembered a snake eating its tail was also the ancient symbol of infinity!

He couldn't help but ask, "Then that strand of energy that drilled through my heart was an Immortal Mark?"

The eerily voice said with a hint of excitement, "Yes! The Immortal Mark only forms after the modified heart completely resonates with the body and new blood. But your heart not only resonated but also mutated, which was almost unbelievable.

"That's why your immortal mark was unique, and you could control it at will, and you even managed to open all the meridian channels and acupuncture points of your body with it as well.

"I must say, you're really something. Not only did you manage to condense the special immortal mark, but you even used to turn the table on that little idiot who would've died just by the first modification. He was just foolishly experimenting on everyone while completely ignoring the fact his body structure differed greatly from others, nor did he know about the soul strength."

Jacob finally understood everything and couldn't help but feel chills when he thought just how this book created such cruel tests to find a successor, and no wonder no one could succeed.

Because only crazy people will dare even to consider changing their heart and blood and then even wait until something is drilled out of their heart!