Betraying one's self

Furious after self Gu bites it, wisdom Gu recruits lie Gu to trick Ren Zu inside Primordial Domain, telling him the reverse of the truth about which of Xi Land and Hu Land lies ahead and which behind. Remembering the beastmen’s warning against Hu Land, Ren Zu deliberately heads for what he is told is Xi Land, and the group arrives in Hu Land instead. Betrayal Gu left him at an earlier death, so its harm passes him by. Self Gu flies out instead, reminding Ren Zu that placing attitude Gu onto it earlier let him deceive even himself, and that this deception has now cost him its company. Weak Gu had urged that trick on him to build a deception perfect enough to fool even the Predicament, and a person who deceives himself loses his own sense of self. Great Strength True Martial’s ability Gu adds that self Gu had bitten betrayal Gu once already and had grown a taste for betrayal because of it. The three chase self Gu into the River of Time, whose surface carries ice of every size called truthful floating ice, and Ren Zu judges that self Gu is hiding at the center of it. ^{ch. 2184}

Every piece of ice on the river is a piece of truth, and the three read the same piece differently, one calling it too small for them and one seeing spikes that would pierce their feet. Standing on their first shared piece of ice, Ren Zu weeps, Great Strength True Martial shouts in anger, and Carefree Wisdom Heart laughs, the same truth striking each of them differently. As each piece sinks they leap to another, the feelings every truth stirs piling up until one of them cannot bear it, and after several changes fortitude Gu has Great Strength True Martial suffering least of the three. Good Gu and bad Gu appear on Carefree Wisdom Heart’s palms, letting the group choose only ice carrying a good situation. Riding nothing but good situations, the three grow more and more euphoric until the joy leaves them unable to move at all. The ice they are standing on submerges completely, and they fall into the river one after another. ^{ch. 2185}