Chapter 1340: The Offspring of a Deceased Old Friend? The Power of Heaven's Proxy Remnants
Chapter 1340: The Offspring of a Deceased Old Friend? The Power of Heaven's Proxy Remnants
Ling Yuling was reluctant to reveal Nan Qing's existence. After all, as one of the Descendants of the Great Sages, Nan Qing had been hunted and besieged by the remnants of the Black Disaster all these years, her circumstances far from ideal.
Ling Yuling's previous visit to the chaotic Spacetime Sea had already disrupted Nan Qing's peaceful life. If her location were exposed now, it would likely bring her even more trouble.
"The offspring of a deceased old friend?"
"What was your old friend's name?"
Gu Changge's brow furrowed imperceptibly. As Ling Yuling spoke of this matter, he sensed an inexplicable strand of Karma entangling itself with him.
Yet when he focused his gaze, attempting to pierce through that Karma, an intangible mist suddenly arose, obscuring all traces.
This scene reminded him of his experience in the Azure Sky Realm when he deduced the General Outline of Transcendence—how strikingly similar.
First, the General Outline of Transcendence, something that should never have appeared in the Boundless Expanse, surfaced. Now, there was this mist capable of interfering with his probing and deductions.
Things were growing more and more intriguing.
Of course, Gu Changge could have easily dispelled that mist to glimpse the truth directly. But considering that doing so might prematurely alert the mastermind behind this arrangement, he chose to hold back for now.
"Her name was Nan Zun. She was a dear friend who once stood with me against the Heaven’s Proxy Group and purged the Black Disaster," Ling Yuling said softly, her eyes tinged with nostalgia.
She still remembered that woman—peerless in grace, transcendent, unrivaled across eras, her beauty outshining all worlds. She carried an innate confidence and strength, as though no obstacle or hardship could ever hinder her.
She had countless followers and supporters, deeply revered by her allies.
"Nan Zun?"
Gu Changge murmured the name, his eyes reflecting contemplation. The alliance that had resisted the Heaven’s Proxy Group did indeed have several renowned leaders, each representing one of the five directions—east, south, west, north, and center.
However, he hadn't paid close attention to their identities.
The Nan Zun Ling Yuling spoke of was likely one of them.
"She's a kind-hearted girl. I don't want to drag her into this. Back then, I only managed to meet her in the Floating Land deep within the chaotic Spacetime Sea because of a token Nan Zun left me."
"She has no intention of opposing the Heavenslayers Alliance. When she learned of my plan to organize the Primary Hope Covenant, she even advised me to abandon it..." Ling Yuling explained.
At this point, all she hoped was that Gu Changge would not allow harm to befall the Indigenous People of the Floating Land—nor to Nan Qing.
"The Descendants of the Great Sages have finally revealed themselves..."
"Now, the second phase of the plan can begin."
Gu Changge's gaze deepened as he looked toward the distant heavens. He paid little heed to Ling Yuling's words.
Whether it was the Indigenous People of the Floating Land or the offspring of her old friend Nan Zun, none of it held any real significance in his eyes—none of it could truly affect his plans.
Now, the Heavenslayers Alliance had firmly established itself within the Primary Hope Civilisation, its reputation resounding across the vast Boundless Expanse.
But this was still far from enough.
That same day, within the headquarters of the Heavenslayers Alliance, countless cultivators and living beings witnessed ancient warships soaring into the sky, Chaos Qi swirling, war drums shaking the heavens, banners unfurling as they rumbled forward, tearing through the Great Universe and swiftly vanishing into the Spacetime passageway.
Fully armed legions stood in formation upon the ancient warships, an endless black tide exuding an iron-blooded, terrifying aura—as though they had emerged from an ocean of corpses and blood, striking fear and trembling into all who beheld them.
Dao Realm experts across the Heavenslayers Alliance received their orders, emerging from their Cave Abodes and palaces, traversing the Great Universe to join the march into the Spacetime passageway.
This scene played out in numerous regions of the Primary Hope Civilisation, leaving countless cultivators and living beings utterly shocked and horrified.
Where was the Heavenslayers Alliance deploying its forces? Which realm was it targeting for conquest? Was another endless war about to unfold?
Finally, as the Heavenslayers Alliance's armies advanced toward the territory of the Imperial Immortal Palace, Spacetime passageways were carved open, descending upon and piercing through that land.
Countless factions trembled in fear, worried that the flames of war would spread and engulf them.
No one understood why the Heavenslayers Alliance's forces had suddenly descended upon the Imperial Immortal Palace.
Had the Imperial Immortal Palace offended the Alliance's leader, inviting destruction and retribution?
Deep within the Imperial Immortal Palace, elders and ancestral elders alike were stunned, finding it hard to believe. They braced themselves as though facing a formidable enemy.
Though the Imperial Immortal Palace had already joined the Heavenslayers Alliance as a subordinate faction, the sudden arrival of its vast armies still filled them with shock, dread, and unease.
"The Alliance Lord has deduced that anomalies have emerged within the chaotic Spacetime Sea deep within the Imperial Immortal Palace. The mastermind behind the sabotage of the Primary Hope Covenant is hiding there. Thus, he has ordered us to launch an expedition to apprehend the culprit concealed within."
"Do not worry, fellow Daoists."
Chu Heng stepped forward and spoke. Clad in frost-armored battle regalia, his aura was formidable, his stern face filled with the Will of Carnage and icy resolve.
His words left the many elders and ancestral elders of the Imperial Immortal Palace both shocked and shaken. However, the depths of the Imperial Immortal Palace were an exceptionally restricted area, akin to a forbidden ground. In the past, only a select few, such as the Palace Master, had been permitted to enter.
That place safeguarded the accumulated heritage and foundations of the Imperial Immortal Palace over countless years—a vital stronghold where even ordinary elders lacked the authority to tread.
To simply allow the Heavenslayers Alliance's army to march through unimpeded would be tantamount to throwing open their gates and laying bare their deepest reserves before the world.
The expressions of the Imperial Immortal Palace's elders darkened, yet under the weight of helplessness and pressure, they could only suppress their discontent, not daring to voice objections.
"Since this is the Alliance Lord's decree, the Imperial Immortal Palace will naturally cooperate with all of you," Palace Master Ling Qiuchang finally replied after careful deliberation. "However, the chaotic Spacetime Sea is unique—it borders directly upon the Boundless Expanse. The restrictions left behind by our founding ancestor remain there. If they are carelessly damaged, the terrifying Living Beings within the chaotic Spacetime Sea might breach into the Primary Hope Civilisation..."
His words carried both compliance and a warning, fearing unforeseen consequences. The Imperial Immortal Palace could no longer endure further upheavals.
"Rest assured," Chu Heng clasped his hands briefly, his reply concise. "We seek only to apprehend the mastermind behind this crime. We will not disturb the restrictions left by your founding ancestor—you have our word."
With that, under his command, ancient warships rumbled forth one after another, shrouded in chaotic mist as they surged toward the depths of the Imperial Immortal Palace.
There, radiant mists billowed, where the laws of worlds and fragments of universes collided ceaselessly, unleashing vast, tumultuous waves of power.
The Heavenslayers Alliance's army advanced in a mighty tide, swiftly parting the dense, luminous fog as they descended into the chaotic Spacetime Sea.
An aura of shattered disorder saturated every inch of the void and space. Unending tides of cosmic debris and Spacetime Rifts pressed and churned, forming the dominant rhythm of this realm.
Even with Dao Realm experts clearing the path ahead, each ancient warship still moved as though "treading on thin ice," unable to tear through spacetime as freely as they could in the outside world.
Within this chaotic Spacetime Sea, fragmented Dao Storms raged, wantonly slicing through any Living Beings that ventured here. All matter seemed destined for annihilation, reduced to nothingness.
"This chaotic Spacetime Sea feels... unusual. There's a familiar presence here..."
"Could the Heaven Legion have made an appearance?"
Old Man Cold Crow, seated cross-legged upon one of the ancient warships, abruptly opened his eyes.
His gaze was profound, his pupils crackling with crimson lightning—bolts as massive as mountain ranges, within which terrifying visions intertwined. He sought to pierce through the chaos and glimpse the scenes unfolding within the Spacetime Sea.
Yet the spectacle there was far too disordered. Even for an existence whose power surpassed ordinary Ancestral Dao Realm experts, clarity remained elusive. Chaotic laws swirled like an abyssal, lightless ocean, unfathomable and dark.
His expression flickered between gloom and unease. If the Heaven Legion truly was here, the situation could spiral into something far more troublesome.
Meanwhile, in another region of this chaotic Spacetime Sea...
Temporal waves surged, Great Dao laws shattered, and fragments of unknown ancient creatures drifted like trembling islands adrift in a fathomless sea.
A snow-white True Hou, its body radiating sacred energy, stood upon one such "island," its hooves wreathed in mist-like patterns.
"To think others would come here... What a surprise..."
Seated atop the White Hou was a slender figure wearing a wide-brimmed hat. Beneath billowing sleeves, their fingers held a verdant bamboo rod, from which a golden fishing line extended, leisurely casting into the turbulent Spacetime Sea as though angling in tranquility.
The chaotic tides that crashed violently elsewhere dissipated soundlessly upon nearing this figure.
Further away, an inky-black gourd loomed—massive, lightless, absorbing all illumination that touched its surface as though devouring the very essence of radiance.
This pitch-black gourd now floated amidst the chaotic Spacetime Sea, rising and falling rhythmically. From its mouth billowed thick, ominous black haze, like columns of sinister smoke.
Strange substances seeped from that black haze, spreading outward, infiltrating every Spacetime Rift.
Within those dark mists, twisted, grotesque figures continuously reformed and merged, swirling like malevolent smoke as they flooded the spacetime around them.
Amidst the densest fog stood several even more indistinct and dreadful silhouettes—faceless, save for hollow eye sockets and gaping mouths. They stood motionless in reverence, as though awaiting some unspoken command.
"Kekeke, things are getting more and more interesting. Ah Li, after watching the show for so long, shouldn't we make our move?"
The snow-white True Hou let out a bizarre laugh, its massive copper-bell-like eyes fixed on the distant chaotic Spacetime Sea. The thunderous sound of ancient warships plowing through cosmic debris could be heard from afar, carrying an overwhelming sense of urgency.
"No rush. The timing isn't right yet. After waiting so many days, what's a little longer?"
"If we ruin that person's plans, she won't let you off easily. Even I won't be able to save you then."
The figure called Ah Li responded indifferently, still gripping the bamboo fishing rod, attempting to fish for something in the chaotic Spacetime Sea.
Hearing this, the snow-white True Hou visibly shuddered, its eyes flashing with unmistakable fear. It tucked its head in and didn't dare speak another word.
"At this time, why would someone suddenly come to the chaotic Spacetime Sea—and with the same destination as us?"
Ah Li lifted her gaze, murmuring thoughtfully to herself. Then, sensing something, her slender hand abruptly jerked upward, the fishing line tightening as she swiftly reeled it in.
At the same time, with a whoosh, the previously dead-calm sea surface erupted into violent waves. Black clouds pressed low, threatening to crush the heavens as a monstrous creature—covered in thorns and scales, as massive as a mountain—was hauled out of the chaotic Spacetime Sea.
The terrifying beast's eyes burned crimson, filled with chaos and savagery. It struggled against the seemingly fragile fishing line, but an overwhelming force pressed down, rendering it completely immobile.
Meanwhile, the snow-white True Hou beneath Ah Li grew excited at the sight. It lunged forward, its maw gaping like a terrifying black hole, reeking of foul stench and corrosive acid. In one gulp, it swallowed the monstrous creature whole, chewing it down to nothing in a few bites.
"The taste of fresh blood and flesh... It's been so long. Ah Li, when will you take me for a proper feast? I've already picked out several promising civilisations on this trip—one of them even a decaying divine kingdom..."
It let out another eerie, mocking laugh.
"Quiet. Don't disturb my fishing."
But Ah Li only slapped its head impatiently, silencing it immediately.
Meanwhile, deep within an ancient, shadowy hall in the Heavenslayers Alliance, Gu Changge dismissed all his subordinates and stood alone in contemplation.
"If even the Eight Legions possess such formidable strength, perhaps I should reconsider my approach and make better use of Heaven's Proxy. The remnants of Heaven's Proxy surviving is unexpected, but ultimately beneficial."
After a moment of silence, he finally made a decision.
Originally, his plan had been to let the Heavenslayers Alliance grow unchecked, snowballing until it gradually dominated the current state of the Boundless Expanse. Meanwhile, he would leverage the power of the True Ancestor's form to initiate the Myriad-Ages Grand Sacrifice ahead of schedule, hastening the coming of the reckoning.
Yet the current situation in the Boundless Expanse remained too stable and peaceful. Though the emergence of the Heavenslayers Alliance had stirred unease and wariness in some civilisations, it hadn't caused any major upheaval.
Thus, he needed to employ certain means—to summon an external force so overwhelming it would shake the entire Boundless Expanse to its core. That force was none other than the Myriad-Ages Grand Sacrifice.
Only by accelerating the Grand Sacrifice could he force the myriad civilisations to unite under the banner of the Heavenslayers Alliance.
However, unexpected developments had arisen—such as the appearance of the General Outline of Transcendence and another faction silently scheming within the Boundless Expanse.
This made Gu Changge suspect that unforeseen events were unfolding even in the Land of Truth—or perhaps his actions had already drawn the attention of certain individuals.
Thus, he had to escalate the situation faster. He could no longer afford to let the Heavenslayers Alliance expand at its original pace.
"If even the Eight Legions remain unextinguished... then you must still be alive."
"Wu Yue..."
Gu Changge slowly closed his eyes. His vast, boundless will instantly surged like a beam of light, sweeping across the entirety of the Boundless Expanse.
This was the first time since arriving in the Boundless Expanse that he had assumed the identity of the Master of Heaven’s Proxy Group to sense someone's presence.
In an instant, countless dazzling streams of radiance—like rivers of stars—rose within the endless, pitch-black expanse of the Boundless Expanse.
This was the purest Faith Power.
Even after countless ages, across billions of timelines and infinite universes, the Master of Heaven’s Proxy Group still commanded legions of fanatical believers.