Xiao wangyue ➡️ Little Wangyue
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Above the Ancient Treasure Civilization, the endless spacetime turbulence had originally surged like the tides.
But now, everything had frozen still. That vast and towering aura, intolerable to the many worlds, was revealed there, as if suppressing the ten thousand Daos, overawing all of ancient and modern times, and putting an end to all spacetime.
The entire Vast Expanse seemed to have fallen deathly silent at this moment. All cultivators and living beings within the Ancient Treasure Civilization were terrified to the extreme, as if oppressed by the will of heaven and earth, completely unable to move.
Hearing those words, both the Ancient Treasure Imperial Ruler and Progenitor Xu, who was quietly observing all this from a distant place, felt their hearts skip a beat.
"This matter has become troublesome. When did the Ji Chan Clan become connected to this person..." The Ancient Treasure Imperial Ruler's brow furrowed at once; he had not anticipated this situation at all.
The Sovereigns of the Five Great Royal Clans also had changing expressions. They immediately used their methods to deduce, trying to confirm whether this was true or false. Why had no one previously been able to detect the relationship between the Ninth Princess of the Ji Chan Clan and that one?
But no matter how they probed and deduced, all chains of cause and effect seemed to be shrouded and filled by a layer of invisible fog.
Only an indescribable, deep palpitation filled their hearts.
"Imperial Ruler, this matter is likely difficult to handle. The Epochal Reckoning is imminent. The Grand Priest has a very special identity and must not be lost. She is needed to communicate with the other side. If the Reckoning Envoys descend and find that the Grand Priest has already perished, I fear the entire Cataclysmic Tribulation Reckoning will be affected."
"No matter what, we must find a way to save the Grand Priest. She cannot fall here." They communicated through their thoughts.
Hearing these exchanges, the Ancient Treasure Imperial Ruler's face was indistinct, his expression beneath the flat-topped crown changing several times.
He dared not act rashly. Originally, he had assumed the Alliance Leader of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance was at most of similar strength to them, unable to be much stronger. But now he had the insignificant feeling of a mortal facing towering mountains and a boundless abyss.
At this moment, only above the Reincarnation Sea, the sound of Xiao Wangyue's sobbing rang out, as if she wanted to pour out all the grievances and sorrows accumulated over so many years.
The Grand Priest, clutched tightly in that golden great palm that stretched across heaven and earth, had a terrified and horrified expression. Her entire body was trembling; she had never imagined that the Ninth Princess Qingyi of the Ji Chan Clan would be connected to this person.
Had she known these things, how could she have dared to treat Qingyi this way, to treat the Ji Chan Clan this way?
But now, any words were pale and powerless. Even if she regretted it to the extreme, it was useless.
The Grand Priest could only pin her final, slim hope on the Ancient Treasure Imperial Ruler. She was the Grand Priest of the Divine Hall of Rituals, her divine authority bestowed by heaven, representing the supreme Heavenly Will, and the hub that communicated with the Land of Truth. She could not die here.
"Ancient Treasure Imperial Ruler, save me..."
In this moment, an endless desire to live surged within the Grand Priest. She struggled with all her might, but as the golden great hand slowly closed, her limbs twisted, collapsed, and burst apart, turning into sand-like substance, about to seep through the gaps.
"Would he dare to save you?"
Gu Changge's figure landed calmly above the Reincarnation Sea.
He did not say much, nor did he pay attention to the Ancient Treasure Imperial Ruler and the Sovereigns of the Five Great Royal Clans. He simply looked at Qingyi, who was crying silently, and then reached out to gently wipe the crystalline tears from the corner of her eyes.
Qingyi reached out and held that warm, familiar hand, and said softly, "I really didn't expect..."
"I will explain to you later."
Gu Changge said, and immediately a colossal and boundless, immeasurable and indescribable aura surged and erupted within Qingyi, instantly shattering the restrictions and shackles on her body, turning them into dust that filled the sky.
However, those ashes did not completely dissipate. They hovered in midair for a moment, then fell and wound themselves around the Grand Priest, like thorny brambles full of barbs, piercing sharply into her flesh.
At this realm, the concept of a physical body no longer existed, but under the manipulation of Gu Changge's will, the Grand Priest manifested a true form and a body of flesh and blood. In terror, she let out pained cries. The sensitivity of her soul was now a billion times more acute than before, and such agony felt as if her very divine soul was about to collapse—a fate worse than death.
At this moment, no matter who it was in the Ancient Treasure Civilization, they all felt this numbing, soul-trembling, agonized wailing. It was as if suffering torment in the hell of incessant torture; just hearing the sound could make one's divine soul collapse and burst.
The faces of the Sovereigns of the Five Great Royal Clans were all changing, somewhat trembling in fear. The Grand Priest was a fellow End of the Path figure like them, yet in Gu Changge's hands, she was less than a toddler learning to walk, just like an ant being toyed with at will, to be killed however he pleased.
Even Qingyi, seeing this scene, displayed a slight unwillingness to bear it. Soft-hearted and kind as she was, she felt such torment was worse than simply dying.
The reason she suffered torment and punishment in the Reincarnation Sea was actually because she had once fled from her own destiny, causing the Ji Chan Clan to suffer heavenly punishment. This was a consequence she had brought upon herself.
However, the Grand Priest's treatment of her indeed involved some personal grievances.
"That venomous woman has finally met her day. She bullied Sister for so many years, tormenting her in every way she could..." Xiao Wangyue wiped her tears, full of satisfaction.
Ji Ziyi looked at Qingyi and said gently, "Little Ninth, you need not feel any sympathy for her. The Grand Priest has always been trying to sacrifice our clan in exchange for more benefits. Had it not been for her advising the heavens during the sacrificial ceremony, Eldest Sister would not have ended up this way."
"Ahhh..."
"Kill me, kill me..."
"Ancient Treasure Imperial Ruler, kill me quickly, kill me..."
The golden great hand slowly dissipated, but the Grand Priest within had twisted into a lump, her body collapsing as one thorny bramble after another pierced through her, as if threading her through the void. At this moment, she had none of the dignity and transcendence of the Grand Priest of the Ancient Treasure Civilization. Instead, she was a madwoman who could neither live nor die, falling into a frenzy, ceaselessly tearing at her own body, her own head, leaving terrifying bloody gashes.
This scene made the Ancient Treasure Imperial Ruler, the Sovereigns of the Five Great Royal Clans, and the ancient existences watching from distant spacetime all feel their hearts palpitate and tremble. This was an End of the Path figure! One might not appear even in thousands of epochs.
"I will not kill you. Killing you would be a release for you. In this world, there are billions of ways to make you wish for death, to make you regret ever having lived in this world."
Gu Changge lightly grasped, and above the Reincarnation Sea, endless spacetime tore open, from which dense world-force gushed out, instantly forming a tiny bubble that then swallowed and enveloped the Grand Priest.
In the blink of an eye, that tiny bubble devoured the massive world-force and transformed into a complete world, within which there were mountains and rivers, oceans and continents, countless suns, moons, and stars evolving, forming a perpetually circulating universe.
This universe, like an eggshell, landed in Gu Changge's hand. The flow of time within was completely different from the external Vast Expanse. A single breath outside was millions of years inside, and endless torment was inflicted upon the Grand Priest, causing her extreme agony. Those wails and despair transmitted through the crystalline world barrier, making everyone's hair stand on end.
Although only a breath had passed outside, she had endured tens of millions of years of torture within.
The Sovereigns of the Five Great Royal Clans, even more heart-trembling, could not help but step back several paces. They looked at Gu Changge as if looking at a monster.
To casually create a world and control all its matter, all its time, space, fate, and origin—such a method had already surpassed their imagination. It was by no means an exaggeration to call him a Creator.
Moreover, to create a world capable of containing an End of the Path existence had already surpassed the scope of a Supreme True World. That meant... Gu Changge could now casually create a Supreme True World and arbitrarily change its rules and everything within it.
A deathly silence fell over the Ancient Treasure Civilization. At this moment, even the Lord of Reincarnation and the World Lord, who had been silently observing and not showing themselves, were silent.
The World Lord, who held the Authority of Creation, stared fixedly at Gu Changge's palm. But no matter how he looked, he could not see how what had just happened was accomplished; he was utterly unable to understand. Even if he saw it, he could not imagine how it was done.
This had already surpassed his cognition and understanding. At this moment, he felt like a toddler learning to walk, trying to understand a scholar full of profound knowledge, yet unable to grasp even the simplest truth.
Pfff...
The World Lord suddenly spat out a mouthful of a substance like blood, golden and brilliant, containing dense world matter. Such matter flowed simultaneously from all seven apertures of his head.
"I cannot see through it, but I can confirm that this is indeed a supreme act of creation, no longer comprehensible at our level. Perhaps this is the very method by which he creates those fortuitous encounters and creations from illusion into reality..." he said in a low voice.
The Lord of Reincarnation's expression also changed, as if trying to discern Gu Changge's method and perceive some truth of the path ahead from it.
"Fellow Daoist..."
"Your strength surpasses ours. We will not overestimate ourselves and attack you. Although I do not know how you reached this step, the Epoch Cataclysm is about to descend. At that time, heaven and earth will undergo great changes, and the Will of the Heavenly Dao, which has slumbered for so long, will also awaken. No matter how strong you are, you cannot contend against the Will of the Heavenly Dao, let alone the fact that in the Land of Truth, there exist even more inconceivable and unimaginable existences."
"The Grand Priest was formed by bearing the Heavenly Mandate; her imperial authority is bestowed by heaven. Treating her this way will only bring boundless calamities upon you."
The Imperial Ruler of the Ancient Treasure Civilization finally spoke again, with deep wariness.
"The Epoch Cataclysm is about to descend. By reason, I would not do anything to the Ancient Treasure Civilization. But since I have come, you must submit to me."
"As for the Will of the Heavenly Dao you speak of, it is nothing more than that in my eyes. I intend to slay Heaven, so what of the Heavenly Dao? A flip of the palm can suppress it." Gu Changge's expression remained casual, as if recounting a very small and simple matter.
These words made the Ancient Treasure Imperial Ruler and the others' expressions change repeatedly.
"Fellow Daoist, are you determined to strike against the Ancient Treasure Civilization? Although you are powerful, if you think you can make us submit so easily, that is utterly impossible. From the very beginning, from the moment of its birth, the Ancient Treasure Civilization has been loyal to the Land of Truth. There has never been an existence that could make the Ancient Treasure Civilization submit." The Ancient Treasure Imperial Ruler said in a deep voice.
"That is because I did not exist before. If I had, the Ancient Treasure Civilization would naturally submit." Gu Changge seemed to smile. "I do not wish to cause needless slaughter. In the great plan to slay Heaven, all of you can play considerable roles. There are not many who have reached the End of the Path, and each one is qualified to charge at the frontlines."
"You..."
The Ancient Treasure Imperial Ruler's expression changed again and again, somewhat angered, but soon he calmed down, his eyes very deep, as if no longer stirred by emotions.
In Gu Changge's words, they, the existences standing at the very peak of the Vast Expanse, were merely qualified to charge at the frontlines. Did this mean he intended to treat them as cannon fodder?
Although the Sovereigns of the Five Great Royal Clans had long ceased to possess things like emotions, at this moment, Gu Changge's words caused violent fluctuations in their state of mind.
"Fellow Daoist, are you determined to attack? Even if heaven and earth are overturned, and billions of spacetime universes are destroyed? You have likely underestimated the countless accumulations the Ancient Treasure Civilization has built since ancient times." The Ancient Treasure Imperial Ruler said solemnly. As his mind shifted, he began to contact the Lord of Reincarnation deep within the Realm of Reincarnation.
He knew that the Lord of Reincarnation was surely watching all this. If Gu Changge was determined to deal with the Ancient Treasure Civilization, then both he and the Lord of Reincarnation would have to resist; they could not allow him to act freely and cause boundless turmoil.
To some extent, the Ancient Treasure Civilization could be considered the guardians and keepers of order in the Vast Expanse. They were like farmers guarding an orchard for noble lords. Of course, perhaps in the eyes of the Land of Truth, they were far less than farmers, merely dogs tethered there at best.
But so what? Even as dogs, in the Vast Expanse, they were still existences standing at the very peak, overlooking the changing epochs and the births and deaths of countless ages, standing at the very apex of the pyramid.
"I am already clear on the current state of the Ancient Treasure Civilization. You need not call for reinforcements. Even if they appeared, they would not dare to speak out in front of me."
Gu Changge seemed to laugh. His gaze seemed to see through the entire Ancient Treasure Civilization in that moment.
As he lightly raised his palm, the void before him tore open again. In the next instant, it seemed as if trillions of sub-dimensional planes and spacetimes were ripping apart. And in the depths of that void, there were towering mountain ranges, seated islands and Daoist arenas, incomparably grand. Countless figures flickered, numbering in the millions, with various halls standing erect, incomparably sacred, and an unknown billions of divine talismans bursting with divine light.
It was clearly a Daoist arena established in some unknown spacetime, within which there seemed to be the aura of the End of the Path permeating, steadying and concealing this slice of spacetime.
But as this large hand of his reached in, that slice of spacetime collapsed and disintegrated layer by layer. Above the sky, a boundless and majestic giant hand slowly expanded. In just a breath, it blotted out that entire spacetime and heaven and earth.
All living beings and cultivators were terrified, then roared furiously as they flew upward to resist, but it was utterly useless. Like a swarm of fireflies throwing themselves at a lofty mountain, they burst apart in puffs.
In the deepest part, that towering and grand hall suddenly split open, and a terrified figure flew out swiftly, trying to tear through spacetime and flee.
He had a refined face, wearing a high crown and broad sash, with the air of great antiquity. But now, he was like a fly fleeing in panic, darting about wildly, trying to break free from the grasp of that boundless great hand.
But obviously, under the shroud of that great hand, spacetime, laws, and all matter had frozen still, utterly unable to function. He could only watch as that great hand above his head descended, just as it had clutched the Grand Priest earlier, seizing him in one grip, unable to escape any further.
"The Master of Fate..."
Watching this scene, Progenitor Xu, hidden in the distant spacetime, could not help but tremble slightly, his expression changing again and again. He no longer hesitated, turned around, and fled, without any hesitation.
However, Gu Changge only seemed to glance in his direction once before withdrawing his gaze, showing no intention of continuing to act.
At this moment, the entire Ancient Treasure Civilization once again fell into silence and deathly stillness. The Ancient Treasure Imperial Ruler and the Sovereigns of the Five Great Royal Clans no longer spoke. The Calamity Master, who had had many dealings with the Master of Fate and was entangled with him by karma, trembled slightly, an immense fear shrouding his heart.
Even while hiding deep within the Ancient Treasure Civilization, concealed within trillions of layers of spacetime, the Master of Fate had still been instantly seized, without any power to resist.
This was an End of the Path figure who had laid plans for unknown eons, leaving who knew how many contingencies throughout the Vast Expanse. Behind the collapse of the Radiant Ancestral Court, the birth of the Immortal Chu Dynasty, the Great Yang Kingdom, the Weiyang Immortal Dynasty, and the Nanzhao Ancient Kingdom, among other dynasties, his shadow could be found.
Yet now, he was like a fly trapped beneath the Five Fingers Mountain, only able to collide blindly.
The Master of Fate was finally in despair. Although he had long suspected that Gu Changge had deliberately let him leave the Nightmare Demon Domain back then, using him as some kind of bait, he had always felt he still had hope, that he could rise again in the future and have a chance to contend against Gu Changge.
But it was only today that he finally understood that the gap between the two was like that between a mortal without any cultivation facing an immortal who could fly through the heavens and tunnel through the earth.
What of being at the End of the Path? A single thought could suppress him at will.