"What if I tell you? With your current state as a wandering ghost, do you still think you can seek revenge?" Gu Changge spoke unhurriedly, his tone calm and composed.
Ji Hanjing's face, shrouded in a blurry mist, shifted continuously before she finally lowered her head in helplessness, filled with resentment and frustration.
Yes, she was now nothing more than a wandering ghost trapped within the Book of Scavenging.
Unable to even leave, how could she hope to seek revenge?
Even if she knew who her enemy was, did she have the strength to do so?
Even if she were to rebuild her physical body and foundation, it would take an immeasurably long time to restore herself to her former peak strength.
"You... can you help me?"
Ji Hanjing suddenly raised her lowered head, looking at Gu Changge with eyes filled with hope and desperation.
She was once the illustrious Yao Guang Empress, a ruler who had dominated countless worlds with her iron will and ruthless methods. Countless races had bowed before her, and she had reigned supreme, worshipped across countless star systems and universes.
When had she ever been reduced to such a state, humbly begging someone for help?
Ji Hanjing had been by Gu Changge's side for quite some time now.
She didn't know his origins, but she was well aware of his capabilities. If anyone could help her, it was him.
"Why should I help you?"
Gu Changge chuckled slightly, glancing at Ji Hanjing. "I will, as per our agreement, help you escape from the Book of Scavenging and even assist you in rebuilding your body and foundation. But your revenge has nothing to do with me."
Ji Hanjing stared at him intently, her tone resolute. "If you help me achieve my revenge, I will give you everything I have. From then on, I will follow your orders, serve you, and go through fire and water for you. I will do anything you ask."
She understood Gu Changge's personality and character well. He would never act out of mere pity or sympathy.
Every action he took was calculated, driven by his own plans and interests.
If she wanted Gu Changge's help, she would have to offer him something he found worthwhile.
"The daughter of Zhong Jun, the princess of the Radiant Ancestral Court, making such an offer—it's hard for me to refuse."
Gu Changge smiled, as if he had already anticipated Ji Hanjing's words.
At this point, she had no other choice.
Ji Hanjing continued to stare at him, waiting for his response.
She didn't know what Gu Changge was pondering, but the few seconds of silence felt like an eternity.
"I can help you seek revenge, but from now on, everything you have will belong to me."
"Have you thought this through?"
Finally, Gu Changge looked at her, a strange light flickering in the depths of his eyes.
The Book of Scavenging, as a civilization treasure, was no less powerful than other civilization treasures.
However, its previous owner had never gained its recognition and thus could not unleash its true potential, treating it merely as a tool for scavenging and treasure hunting.
Ji Hanjing, still the spirit of the Book of Scavenging, could actually wield its power.
However, due to certain restrictions and formations, she was unable to break free from the book.
Gu Changge had long considered the idea of using the civilization treasure as a vessel for Ji Hanjing to rebuild her original body.
This would essentially mean the civilization treasure taking on a physical form. From then on, she would be the Book of Scavenging, and the Book of Scavenging would be her—the two would become one.
However, the transformation of a civilization treasure into a physical form was something Gu Changge had never seen before. There were no records of such an event in any ancient texts.
He wasn't sure if Ji Hanjing could succeed in this transformation. The key lay in whether she could withstand the tribulation of transformation.
The tribulation of a civilization treasure's transformation was, in theory, no less severe than the Heavenly Decline Tribulation that Ancestral Dao Realm beings had to endure.
In the world, besides the Heavenly Decline Tribulation, there were also the Heavenly Calamity Tribulation and the Human Disaster Tribulation. A civilization treasure, after all, was different from an ordinary Ancestral Dao Realm being. It carried the accumulated essence of an entire civilization, and the karma it bore was vast and immense.
Ji Hanjing had been trapped in the Book of Scavenging for countless years. Her spirit and energy had long been depleted, and she had almost forgotten her past.
If Gu Changge hadn't awakened her this time, she might have remained in that confused, muddled state.
She no longer had the strength or foundation to endure such a tribulation.
"As long as I can achieve my revenge, I am willing to pay any price."
Ji Hanjing spoke calmly, her blurred face revealing eyes as still as a lake without ripples.
Gu Changge didn't hide his intentions and directly explained his plan to her.
Ji Hanjing didn't resist the idea of becoming one with the Book of Scavenging from now on.
Moreover, this would save her the lengthy process of escaping the Book of Scavenging, rebuilding her body and foundation, and restoring her cultivation.
Even she had never heard of a civilization treasure taking on a physical form.
If she succeeded, her strength would be no less than that of an Ancestral Dao Realm being, and because of the nature of the civilization treasure, she might even surpass them by several levels.
She might even rival figures like Mu Fuguang and Beici Chanfu.
However, as Gu Changge had explained, the tribulation of transformation was fraught with danger and unpredictability. It might even attract the attention of the Land of Truth.
Due to his aversion to trouble, he might not be able to help her when the time came, so Ji Hanjing had to be prepared for the possibility of failure and annihilation.
Of course, since Gu Changge had promised her, he would find a way to increase her chances of success.
A few days later, in a remote star system deep within the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, a surge of chaotic light erupted, and Primordial True Thunder pierced through the vast cosmos, dense and numerous, like an ocean of Dao lightning.
An ancient book floated amidst the chaos, surrounded by misty purple fog that resembled Primordial Purple Qi, containing countless profound mysteries.
Various Dao rhythms collided and intertwined, illuminating the dark and deep universe.
Gu Changge stood in the distance, calmly observing everything.
Various lights appeared, as if descending from different times and spaces, before the heavens and the universe returned to silence.
However, this tranquility didn't last long. Terrifying scenes unfolded, as if the heavens and earth were being torn apart. Strange phenomena emerged—floods, earthquakes, collapsing skies, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes—each capable of destroying an ancient world.
These scenes were horrifying. Countless beings wailed and knelt in prayer, begging the heavens for mercy, only to be drowned by floods, burned by flames, or swallowed by the collapsing earth. It was as if the ancient calamities had returned. There were also scenes of war, slaughter, and famine...
Countless ghostly figures roamed the worlds, their cold and terrifying aura spreading in all directions.
Time and space shattered, and everything became chaotic, making it impossible to discern whether these scenes were real or illusory.
In the end, even the phantom of the Yao Guang Ancient Kingdom reappeared, its prosperous realm seemingly revived from the annals of history, ready to showcase its glory to the world once more.
The Book of Scavenging was completely enveloped by the dense mist and phenomena.
Even as a civilization treasure, it was no different from an ordinary cultivator in the face of such a bizarre tribulation.
The ancient pages of the book were ignited by black flames that appeared out of nowhere, fading page by page before turning to ash.
Gu Changge frowned slightly and waved his sleeve, dispersing some of the mist.
The blurred figure floating within the Book of Scavenging began to distort and shatter, and the book itself started to crack.
Ji Hanjing was enduring an unprecedented pain of reshaping her bones and flesh. This transformation wasn't just a change in spirit and soul.
It also involved her merging with the Book of Scavenging, turning the book into her new body. It was as if a flesh-and-blood body was being fused with an object, becoming one.
"However, I seem to have underestimated her willpower. When the Book of Scavenging was first forged, the pain she endured must have been no less than this. The Book of Scavenging was, after all, forged from part of her flesh and blood."
Gu Changge withdrew his gaze. He had initially planned to intervene further, but now it seemed unnecessary.
He had underestimated Ji Hanjing's capabilities.
A few days later, the depths of the universe returned to calm. All the turbulence and aura disappeared, leaving only silence.
A blurry, indistinct light floated amidst the chaos, resembling a formless mass of flesh enveloped in mist, with various Dao rhythms surging within it.
Gu Changge had left this star system days ago. Once he sensed that Ji Hanjing's transformation would proceed without issue, he departed.
No one would disturb her until she completed her transformation and emerged.
After her transformation, Ji Hanjing would need time to adapt to her new body and power. Gu Changge naturally had no time to wait around and guard her.
Outside, the Heaven-Slaying Alliance and the Alliance of Righteous Unity had already begun their war and slaughter.
To be precise, the Heaven-Slaying Alliance had launched an offensive against the Alliance of Righteous Unity. The situation was one-sided, with the Alliance of Righteous Unity forced into a defensive position. Under the relentless assault of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, they could only retreat and shrink their territory.
Some universes adjacent to the Heaven-Slaying Alliance were abandoned by the Alliance of Righteous Unity at the first opportunity. Many civilizations and forces that had once aligned with the Alliance of Righteous Unity chose to surrender and pledge allegiance as soon as the Heaven-Slaying Alliance's forces approached.
The Heaven-Slaying Alliance, with its vast resources, spent enormous sums to establish stable spatial passages across the vast expanse. Ancient warships carried vast armies across the stars, their momentum unstoppable, their killing intent boiling.
Wherever they went, they crushed all resistance. The Alliance of Righteous Unity was in disarray, with no will to fight back.
Compared to being slaughtered and sacrificed by the Dark Beings, surrendering at this point was clearly the wiser choice.
This left the Alliance of Righteous Unity with no ability to resist the advancing forces of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, their morale utterly crushed.
Everyone feared death and was unwilling to charge into battle. Moreover, the Alliance of Righteous Unity was now caught between two enemies, unable to focus on either front.
Even Dao Realm beings chose to avoid conflict when possible, retreating or surrendering rather than facing certain death.
However, there were those who stubbornly resisted, refusing to surrender. Their fate was inevitable—their bodies and souls were obliterated, swallowed by the vast waves of the cosmos, leaving nothing behind.
Under these circumstances, the morale of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance soared, and they quickly dismantled many of the Alliance of Righteous Unity's frontlines and strongholds.
The Alliance of Righteous Unity, in a desperate move, chose to abandon their hard-to-defend territories and gaps, naturally sacrificing the weaker, newly born civilizations and true worlds adjacent to the Heaven-Slaying Alliance.
Their territory was reduced to less than a third of its original size.
At the same time, the Alliance of Righteous Unity urged all factions and forces to migrate toward the central regions. The civilizations and true worlds at the heart of the Alliance of Righteous Unity, such as the Endless Yang True World and the Calamitous Yin True World, began to absorb the incoming factions.
This strategy was effective, but it also left many feeling disheartened, especially those still fighting on the frontlines against the Heaven-Slaying Alliance.
The promises of unity and shared hardship made when the Alliance of Righteous Unity was founded had now been broken.
Those who had once rejoiced at joining the Alliance of Righteous Unity now regretted their decision deeply. Who could have predicted that the Heaven-Slaying Alliance would be so overwhelmingly powerful, forcing even the Dark Beings to retreat and focus their attacks on the Alliance of Righteous Unity? It was clear they were targeting the weaker opponent.
Facing the overwhelming advance of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, the Alliance of Righteous Unity still had some room to retreat and strategize.
However, against the invading Dark Beings, there was no option but to fight to the death. The most brutal battles took place beyond the embankments and fortress walls.
Rivers of blood flowed, and mountains of corpses piled up. Broken weapons and remains floated in the void, and the endless sands were stained red.
The vast, endless horde of dark creatures remains stationed in the distant universe, like a boundless river of darkness, evoking an overwhelming sense of suffocation and despair.