"If you want to see, then go see for yourself. The time of peace and tranquility in the Vast Expanse is running short now..." Gu Changge said, and with a light tap of his finger, a crystalline glow like rosy clouds landed on Xi Yao's forehead.
"What is this?"
She sat leaning against Gu Changge, hugging her legs, her waterfall-like jet-black hair glossy enough to reflect light, and felt an immense power that did not belong to her appear within the sea of consciousness in her forehead.
"It is the reliance that allows you to measure the world freely, unbound by any constraints," Gu Changge said.
"This world is indeed enchanting, but if there is no one to accompany me, it won't be very interesting..." Xi Yao looked at him earnestly.
"You're really asking for quite a lot now," Gu Changge seemed to smile.
"..." Xi Yao replied with a smile, but her eyes were somewhat dim.
Gu Changge did not respond further.
As if she had anticipated this, Xi Yao only said softly, "If it were Yue Mingkong, would you have agreed to her?"
Gu Changge only said, "She wouldn't do this."
Xi Yao hugged her knees, "I really have been hoping for too much."
"At a time like this, I cannot give you too many promises and responses. The Epoch Cataclysm is about to descend..." Gu Changge considered, then reached out and gently stroked her black hair.
Xi Yao felt the warmth from his body, leaned her head over, and smelled the pure, warm scent like aged wood, feeling an indescribable peace of mind.
In this moment, she seemed to think back to when she was in the Demon Realm, many memories flashing through her mind, finally settling on the day he stepped into the sky and left.
She did not quite understand what the Epoch Cataclysm meant, but she vaguely sensed... that perhaps now was not the time to discuss these things.
True freedom without constraints was far from being as easy as she had imagined.
"I want to go back to the Demon Realm to take a look..." she thought for a moment and then said softly.
Seemingly a bit worried about the situation in the Demon Realm, but most of all about Song Youwei, who had been by her side at the end of her previous life.
She always remembered that Song Youwei's mother was actually human, and the clash of demon and human bloodlines had left her in poor health.
It also seemed like she wanted to escape something...
"The entrance to the Dao Chang True World is within the Heaven-Slaying Alliance."
Gu Changge did not refuse her request. With a casual wave of his hand, a crack appeared before them, accompanied by the aura of spacetime, with a nascent life force pervading.
Xi Yao glanced at him, stood up, and stepped forward, light as a swan, and instantly vanished into it.
Watching Xi Yao's figure disappear, Gu Changge briefly sensed the current state of the Dao Chang True World and fell into contemplation.
After being nurtured in the pool water for so many years and having devoured much divine essence, Xi Yao's foundation naturally reached a level far beyond her previous life, and she could use it to break through to higher realms at any time.
However, whether it was Xi Yao, Su Qingge, or Wang Zijin, none of them seemed to care much about cultivation realms or have any obsession with them.
What they pursued was more a natural ease of mind, a thorough enlightenment and letting go after experiencing many things.
Life and death, transcendence or immortality, all seemed unimportant.
"The mortal beings of this world are but passersby of this heaven and earth. Memories, traces—all will wear away and disperse; only the Great Dao is eternal..." Gu Changge's gaze was profound.
But he would never interfere in these matters. Even if Xi Yao and the others broke through to the Dao Realms or even became existences of the Ancestral Dao Realm, it would not affect his plans in the slightest.
Presently, many End of the Path figures in the Vast Expanse, having sensed that the great calamity was imminent and hard to avoid, had also returned one after another, no longer daring to continue hiding. This was entirely within Gu Changge's expectations.
Under the great calamity, heaven and earth were in chaos, and the whole Vast Expanse had been stirred into muddy waters by him. Naturally, these big fish that had hidden in times past could no longer stay out of it.
And his so-called great plan to slay Heaven would have to rely on these End of the Path figures as the most pivotal force. From now on, he would use "Heaven-Slaying" as the pretext to orchestrate this grand spectacle.
"The timing is about right now..." Gu Changge's gaze pierced through layers of void and fell on a certain place.
"Over at the Land of the Nine Heavens, with the emergence of the Palace of Fate Defiance, it seems they intend to open the First Heavenly Tomb."
"The Nine Heavens Tombs have always been buried in the Land of the Nine Heavens. It is said they bury the Heavenly Avatars that were once attacked by the Heaven-Slayers. Whenever an anomaly appears during an Epoch Cataclysm, Heavenly Avatars emerge to set things right." Ling Yuling's figure suddenly appeared by his side.
Actually, she had sensed Gu Changge's aura earlier and had come to the courtyard, but she did not enter because Xi Yao was present.
"The Palace of Fate Defiance plans to burn their boats, to realize the great mission of all former sages and pioneers in this epoch. Opening the Heavenly Tomb is inevitable. But the Heavenly Avatars have never been killable—they can only be sealed. After all, they are formed from part of the rules of the Heavenly Dao of the Vast Expanse..." Gu Changge withdrew his gaze.
"If the Palace of Fate Defiance forcibly opens the First Heavenly Tomb, will it attract the Heavenly Dao's attention to descend?"
"Since ancient times, nine is the ultimate limit. Since the Palace of Fate Defiance came into existence, how many times have they participated in the wars against Heaven? How many Heavenly Avatars have they truly sealed?"
Ling Yuling was somewhat worried about this.
Even figures at the End of the Path level had recently begun to feel the unseen pull of the Heavenly Dao's perception, as if they were being drawn to merge with the Dao and become part of the Heavenly Dao.
Even if they avoided this pull, in the subsequent Epoch Cataclysm, they would be noticed by the Reckoning Envoys and would not escape the Reckoning.
Moreover, the stronger one was, the more easily one was attracted by the Heavenly Dao. If they wanted to manifest and walk the world, they would inevitably have to devote part of their energy to resisting this attractive force.
Unless one held and controlled some Authority. In a sense, that would make one an emissary of the Heavenly Dao, possessing part of the Heavenly Dao's power, and thus unaffected.
But from ancient times to the present, how many existences could hold and control Authority?
Beyond that, whenever the world underwent major changes—such as the emergence of a power like the Heaven-Slaying Alliance—the unseen Heavenly Dao would be affected and would set things right. Thus, the stronger beings would perceive such omens and seek to gain benefits for themselves within this great trend.
"I don't know about that." Gu Changge smiled and shook his head.
The early arrival of the Cataclysmic Tribulation was itself within his plans. Weren't those End of the Path existences who have returned now actually drawn out by him?
Ling Yuling stared at him, not believing his words. Was there anything in the world he did not know?
"The Sixfold Celestial Abyss Armor has been exiled to the deepest levels of the sub-dimensional spacetime. Even for an End of the Path existence, retrieving it is not easy. After sealing... the Lord of Heaven's Proxy back then, to dispose of this armor that nothing could breach, countless efforts were expended by the former sages." Ling Yuling recalled an important matter to report to him.
Regarding the Sixfold Celestial Abyss Armor, although Gu Changge had arranged for the Eternal Primordial God to retrieve it, Ling Yuling always felt it wouldn't go smoothly.
Quite a number of End of the Path existences had returned during this period. If they could truly perceive the Heavenly Mandate, they might, in the unseen world, receive the summons of the Heavenly Dao's Will and thus obstruct the Heaven-Slaying Alliance.
No matter how powerful the Eternal Primordial God was, he was still only an End of the Path existence. His traces and movements could easily be noticed by some existences who held Authority, and they could then scheme against him.
It had been like this since ancient times: whenever someone who defied the heavens and changed their fate appeared, they would always draw the gaze of the Heavenly Dao. Following the heavens was the great trend and would be rewarded, allowing one to avoid the Reckoning and merging with the Dao.
But defying the heavens always led to unimaginable consequences.
And since Gu Changge established the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, at first, the alliance was small and its impact was not great. But now, as the Heaven-Slaying Alliance grew stronger and stronger, almost to the point of unifying the Vast Expanse, its fortune soared, reaching a peak unprecedented in many epochs. This also caused the Epoch Cataclysm to descend ahead of time.
The fortune of the Vast Expanse always had a threshold boundary. Once that boundary was exceeded, an Epoch Cataclysm would arrive—this was an eternal, unchanging truth.
Once an Epoch Cataclysm took shape, it could not be stopped. One could only wait for it to naturally end and subside, then slowly accumulate and converge, awaiting the start of the next Cataclysmic Tribulation. It went in cycles, endlessly repeating, never changing.
Not to mention that the Heaven-Slaying Alliance's name alone was taboo enough, a great blasphemy; it should not exist in the world.
And now, to destroy and stop the Heaven-Slaying Alliance—that was the will of the great trend born unseen between heaven and earth.
"If someone tries to obstruct, wouldn't that be even better?" Faced with Ling Yuling's worries, Gu Changge merely smiled and said.
...
"This Ancient Treasure Civilization is just like a turtle shell. With our power alone, it is absolutely impossible to damage it."
High above the cosmos outside the Ancient Treasure Civilization, one ancient warship after another, colossal and enshrouded in the auras of spacetime and chaos, stood. On the deck, Jiang Weiyang stood, her skirt fluttering.
Beside her, the Divine Martial Great General Zhu Cangning and others respectfully stood, having ceased their expedition against the Ancient Treasure Civilization.
Because the Ancient Treasure Civilization simply ignored them. Only those Dao Realms existences came forward to block the army beyond.
Unless an End of the Path figure stepped forward, the high echelons of the Ancient Treasure Civilization would not meet them at all.
This left everyone from the Weiyang Immortal Dynasty feeling both helpless and frustrated. Even Ji Hanjing had made a move, but to no avail. An Ancestral Dao Realm existence had appeared and fought her, and the matter ended inconclusively.
"If the Ancient Treasure Civilization keeps turtling up and refusing to show itself, it's not a solution..."
"Princess, can you contact the Alliance Leader?"
The speaker was a young man in fine clothes with a handsome face, calm gaze, and a steady bearing, his eyes swirling with chaotic mist and light.
He was none other than Zhu Cangning's great-grandson, Zhu Fuyi, who had once disguised himself as a coachman to help Jiang Weiyang escape the Weiyang Immortal Dynasty.
Now, in the Weiyang Immortal Dynasty, he had been appointed as Dragon Rider General, holding a high position and great authority. His current cultivation had already reached the Dao Realms, having obtained many fortuitous resources over the years.
Hearing this, Jiang Weiyang shook her head. Although she was the princess of the Weiyang Immortal Dynasty, she was still of the "younger" generation, and even her cultivation had not yet reached the Dao Realms.
Within the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, even for a Dao Realms existence, requesting an audience with the Alliance Leader was extremely difficult.
She had only been able to frequently meet Gu Changge in the Heaven-Slaying Alliance by relying on her close relationship with Yao Yao.
"Then the matter becomes troublesome. If the Ancient Treasure Civilization drags this on for several thousand or ten thousand years..." Zhu Fuyi frowned deeply.
"What the Weiyang Immortal Dynasty currently lacks is the highest peak of combat strength. Without an End of the Path existence to anchor us, we have no confidence or voice when facing a colossus like the Ancient Treasure Civilization..."
"If our Weiyang Immortal Dynasty had an End of the Path existence in charge, the situation would be completely different. It's just a pity..." Several ministers were also worried, feeling there was no solution.
Although they were Dao Realms existences, they had only passed through the Heavenly Decline Tribulation three or four times and were still far from the Ancestral Dao Realm. In the Supreme True Worlds, they might still have some standing, but the current Heaven-Slaying Alliance had created an unprecedented situation since ancient times, making them utterly insignificant.
The number of Dao Realms existences born in recent years far exceeded the total of the previous thousand epochs combined.
The fortune of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance was growing, and the feedback showed a positive correlation. More and more People of Great Fortune were emerging, and they were receiving more fortuitous opportunities and creations. It was easier than in previous eras to condense Dao Seeds within their bodies and perceive the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.
Such a method was nothing short of madness, but it had also completely transformed the structure of the Vast Expanse. If this continued, in time, wouldn't it lead to a situation where Dao Realms beings were no better than dogs, and Ancestral Dao beings roamed everywhere?
Of course, they were also well aware that this approach definitely had drawbacks. Many cultivators could not accept this method, deeming it rootless duckweed. The Alliance Leader of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance could bestow opportunities and creations upon them, but naturally, he could also take them back directly.
However, the Dao Realms was indeed a threshold, with trillions upon trillions of cultivators and living beings trapped before it. If given the chance, who wouldn't want to soar to the heavens and become a Protagonist of Heaven and Earth like those in the biographies and novels?
"How could the End of the Path be so easily reached? Since ancient times, the number of Dao Realms existences that have appeared is countless. But those who can reach the Ancestral Dao Realm are all absolute protagonists of heaven and earth. And an End of the Path existence has already walked their comprehended Dao to its ultimate end; they are the protagonists of a thousand epochs, of billions of epochs. It is absolutely not something achievable through simple opportunities and creations."
Seated high in the depths of the ancient warship, Ji Hanjing seemed surrounded by a hazy light, and she was extremely disdainful of the discussions among the ministers of the Weiyang Immortal Dynasty.
If the End of the Path realm were so easily achieved, it wouldn't be worthy of being called the End of the Path.
Even her father, Zhong Jun, who had created the Radiant Ancestral Court and was a figure who appeared in the Innate Era, had not reached the End of the Path.
Did these ministers of the Weiyang Immortal Dynasty truly believe that End of the Path existences were as common as cabbages? Without the accumulation of ten million epochs of heritage, it was impossible for such a figure to emerge.
The Weiyang Emperor Lord Jiang Yun of the Weiyang Immortal Dynasty was indeed a notable figure, but even given endless time, he might not necessarily reach the End of the Path realm.
"Ancestor... then what should we do now?" Upon hearing this, Jiang Weiyang felt very worried. Her father had fallen into the hands of the Master of Fate, his life or death unknown. The longer they delayed, the more likely problems would arise.
Ji Hanjing said, "Wait."
"The Alliance Leader must have already made plans. The reason those existences within the Ancient Treasure Civilization do not show themselves is precisely because of this. They fear the Alliance Leader and dare not rashly appear. Besides, with the great calamity descending, who knows how many eyes are secretly watching the Ancient Treasure Civilization. Before the Major Reckoning in the past, the Ancient Treasure Civilization was never this quiet..."
Hearing this, Jiang Weiyang felt slightly reassured.
And just shortly after Ji Hanjing finished speaking, she seemed to sense something. Her gaze suddenly sharpened as she looked toward the Ancient Treasure Civilization.
If the entire Vast Expanse were to be described as an ocean of endless chaos, then the current Ancient Treasure Civilization was a majestic, unyielding continent standing amidst the turbulent currents and towering waves, eternally lasting.
All other true worlds and civilizations were merely solitary islands shrouded in world auras, at constant risk of being submerged by the waves, utterly inconspicuous in the entire Vast Expanse.
But now, in Ji Hanjing's gaze, the haze-like aura resembling spacetime matter that enshrouded the entire Ancient Treasure Civilization began to boil madly. Layers of spacetime, dimensional sub-dimensions, and countless billions of planes all quaked violently. From the deepest layers of spacetime, world particles, overlapping like foam, surged forth, forming a terrifying, indescribable storm there.
This eternal, imperishable continent trembled as if struck by an earthquake, stirring the surrounding Vast Expanse energy into horrifying hurricanes that swept through everything. The worlds and universes parked nearby were like withered leaves in a storm, ready to be torn apart at any moment.
It wasn't just her—at this moment, deep within the Ancient Treasure Civilization, countless gazes suddenly snapped awake.
"What happened?"
"Something has happened to the Epoch Mother Tree..."
A great commotion spread through the Ancient Treasure Civilization. One after another, ancient wills of unimaginable power, each seeming capable of reorganizing the cosmos and the universe with a single thought, revived in shock, observing from the depths of spacetime dimensions.
From the depths of the five great royal clans—Calamity, Karma, Longevity, Extinction, and Emptiness—figures so ancient as to defy description appeared, instantly tearing through the dimensional barriers of the world and manifesting within the Ancient Treasure Civilization.
The World Lord and the Lord of Reincarnation, their expressions changing several times, simultaneously turned their gazes toward the Epoch Ancient Tree located above the Reincarnation Sea.
At this moment, under everyone's shocked and astonished gazes, that Epoch Ancient Tree seemed to be grasped by an unseen, terrifying giant hand. It trembled and rose bit by bit into the air. Even the surrounding Reincarnation Sea suddenly fell deathly silent and still. Above it, endless spacetime tore open.
Countless powerful creatures hidden within the Reincarnation Sea were frightened and awed to the extreme, feeling like insignificant ants that could be crushed by a giant elephant at any moment.
As the Epoch Mother Tree rose into the air, at its roots, chaos like foam, like the deepest nihilistic substance of all time, was surging. Countless wreckage of cosmic true worlds converged there, forming the Epoch Abyssal Ruins.
But now, even that area was becoming blurred, entwined around the roots of the Epoch Mother Tree, as if containing countless truths and mysteries of all worlds.