The Handiwork of the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being—Why Did It Suddenly Crack?
The Handiwork of the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being—Why Did It Suddenly Crack?
## 707 The Origin Object of the Eternal Overcast, the Matter of the Ancestral Worship (Please Subscribe)
The Eternal Overcast was a mysterious land. Since ancient times, a barrier had surrounded it, isolating it from everything.
Even True Daoists dared not set foot in it lightly, fearing they would be contaminated by the Eternal Overcast Qi.
Now, a host of Eternal Overcast Beings stood respectfully in attendance, awaiting Gu Changge’s arrival.
“My lord, please. The Eldest Princess gave her instructions long ago, ordering us to bring the carriage here. She is currently awaiting your esteemed presence at the Royal Court.”
The old coachman in charge of driving spoke respectfully.
He looked no different from a Human, but his aura was as vast as the sea, utterly terrifying.
Without a doubt, like Jia Ming who had come to receive Gu Changge, he too possessed the bloodline of the Eternal Overcast Kingdom.
Gu Changge nodded slightly, swept his gaze over the assembled Eternal Overcast Beings, and then slowly stepped forward.
Although this was his first time in the Eternal Overcast, he felt not the slightest discomfort.
The Eternal Overcast Qi here was extremely dense.
If an ordinary Cultivator were placed here, they would quickly be contaminated, then fall into the Eternal Overcast and lose their sanity.
The old man driving the carriage discreetly glanced at Gu Changge, inwardly full of admiration.
Though he was merely a coachman, his own strength was not to be underestimated.
Gu Changge, a Human, was completely unaffected by the Qi of this place, his expression as natural as a true Eternal Overcast Being.
This was not simply a matter of terrifying cultivation.
More likely, Gu Changge himself simply did not fear the Eternal Devouring Qi.
Soon, the black jade carriage rose into the sky, transforming into a black divine rainbow that shot straight toward the depths of the Eternal Overcast.
The mist hung heavy. In the firmament above, a dark gray sun hung suspended, carrying a deathly stillness.
The land was pocked and scarred, densely covered with terrifying great ravines, from which gray fog spewed forth, blotting out the sky and sun—unspeakably dreadful.
The entire Eternal Overcast was more like a silent burial ground, having entombed countless corpses and broken remnants.
Wisps of gray mist drifted in from unknown origins, brushing across this desolate earth.
Here, Gu Changge saw virtually no trace of any living being—not even fierce beasts. It was utterly deathly silent.
It seemed as though a terrifying great war had once taken place here.
Countless beings had died tragically here, forming an ancient battlefield.
“From when do your memories begin?”
Inside the carriage, Gu Changge looked at Jia Ming beside him and asked with keen interest.
Hearing this, a troubled expression appeared on Jia Ming’s face.
But facing Gu Changge, he dared not refuse, and could only answer, “In reply to you, my lord, our memories begin from the day we walked out of the deepest part of the Homeland. Everything before that is actually a blank.”
In truth, this already touched upon a certain secret of the Eternal Overcast.
The birth of Eternal Overcast Beings required not only the nurturing of the Homeland, but also a long period of metamorphosis.
Sometimes, even they themselves had been lost in confusion—who exactly were they?
Were they the corpses of the dead, metamorphosed anew into a new race?
Or were they the original people, buried in the Homeland, their own memories erased, thereby gaining new life?
But there was no denying that in the deepest part of the Eternal Overcast lay the Source that birthed and nurtured them, and their greatest secret.
And this secret was perhaps known only to the most mysterious master of the Eternal Overcast.
“The origins of the Eternal Overcast Beings are related to being reborn through death. Could all of this be connected to Reincarnation?”
Hearing Jia Ming’s words, Gu Changge fell into thoughtful contemplation.
Speaking of which, the Source of the Eternal Overcast was an extremely yin-cold energy.
It could devour all matter around it, including rules, order, and even space itself.
Such a Source did not seem like something that could appear in the Beyond.
Rather, it seemed as though some unknowable existence had brought it from some strange and mysterious place, in order to achieve some purpose.
The central region of the Eternal Overcast was a grand complex of palaces, with many towers and citadels standing in rows.
It looked rather prosperous.
Compared to the desolate silence of the border regions, this place had considerably more living beings.
People came and went—though it could not be called bustling, there was a fair amount of vitality.
The black jade carriage sped along, sweeping across the sky, passing through these citadels, heading ever deeper.
The Eternal Overcast Kingdom was situated within. The imperial city exuded antiquity and vastness, along with an aura corroded by the passage of ages.
Wisps of gray mist curled around the surroundings, making the heaven and earth here appear exceedingly ashen and decayed.
“The matter of the Reincarnation Platform—can he really be trusted?”
In the depths of the Eternal Overcast Kingdom, within a certain palace hall.
Several figures stood tall, each wreathed in gray mist.
Their faces could not be seen clearly; only their eyes revealed endless vicissitudes and an aura of decay.
They seemed to be conversing, or perhaps murmuring in discussion, their gazes piercing through the entire palace hall, looking toward the outside of the city.
“In reply to the Great Ancestors, Changge killed the true Successor of the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being and took his inheritance for himself. In the Beyond today, perhaps only he has a way.”
“We have no choice but to trust him. At this point, there is no other way.”
Below these figures, Jia Nan, the Eldest Princess of the Eternal Overcast Kingdom, stood respectfully with hands lowered, answering.
“He killed the true Successor of the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being?”
“What ruthless methods. Is he not afraid of inviting a heaven-sent karmic consequence from the unseen?”
One figure shrouded in gray mist shook his head gently, his gaze revealing contemplation—clearly unconvinced.
“What manner of being was the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being? In the most ancient of times, he came to the Eternal Overcast and left a prophecy.”
“He said he saw a day in the future when gray mist would blanket the earth, and the true Eternal Overcast would descend upon all worlds.”
“A figure like that, versed in the Dao of Reincarnation, able even to wade through the River of Time, influencing the present age from ancient times.”
“If he truly chose a Successor, how could that Successor be so easily slain?”
“That is not necessarily so. Within the unseen, there exists a great tide. The great tide cannot be defied—but that does not mean it cannot be defied.”
Hearing these words, another Great Ancestor shrouded in gray mist shook his head and spoke.
“As long as we can forge the Reincarnation Platform and draw in the aura of that dimension, we can naturally break free of our shackles and achieve Absolute Detachment.”
“The well water in the Homeland is nearly dry.”
Another Great Ancestor sighed. Their auras were supremely world-topping; though they merely stood within this palace hall, it was as if they were pressing down upon this entire sky.
Without a doubt, if they were to step out of this place and appear in the Beyond, it would absolutely trigger boundless upheaval.
The rules of heaven and earth within the Eternal Overcast were entirely different from those of the Beyond, and their strength was by no means comparable to ordinary Remnant Immortals.
“The well water is nearly dry?”
Hearing the Great Ancestor’s words, Jia Nan, standing below with lowered hands, instantly widened her eyes.
She seemed unable to believe it.
In truth, the birth and nurturing of all Eternal Overcast Beings was inseparable from the well water deep in the Homeland.
To be precise, from three extremely mysterious ancient wells within.
Those three ancient wells had created the entire vast Eternal Overcast Kingdom, and were also the source of the Source of the Eternal Overcast.
They were even the origin of the entire Eternal Overcast itself.
And now, from the Great Ancestor’s mouth, she had actually heard news that the well water was about to run dry.
Did that not mean the Eternal Overcast faced a day of collapse and destruction?
When that time came, where would all the Eternal Overcast Beings go?
“No wonder even you Great Ancestors were alarmed.”
A shadow rose in Jia Nan’s heart. The Eternal Overcast was not actually as peaceful as the outside world imagined—it faced the danger of destruction at any moment.
“If the Reincarnation Platform cannot be forged, then our entire Eternal Overcast race will have to think of another way out.”
As the Eldest Princess of the Eternal Overcast Kingdom, she suddenly felt the burden on her shoulders grow much heavier.
“You go receive Gu Changge first. If anything comes up, we will inform you.”
“As for the matter of the Ancestral Worship, go take charge of it first. Once all the materials are gathered, we will open the Ancestral Wells and draw everything in.”
The several Great Ancestors in the great hall withdrew their gazes from beyond the city, and soon this place became deathly silent once more.
The matter of the Ancestral Worship was actually also connected to the Reincarnation Platform. If the Reincarnation Platform was successfully forged, the success rate of the drawing-in would greatly increase.
This concerned not only their Absolute Detachment, but also the very survival of the Eternal Overcast.
Many years ago, the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being had left a prophecy, having seen the future of the Eternal Overcast.
That was why he had told them that in the future, someone would come to forge the Reincarnation Platform for them, to stabilize this place.
Unfortunately, the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being had vanished from this world, his whereabouts long unknown, and they had no way to find him.
So they could only send Jia Nan to search for the Successor of the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being, attempting to learn of his whereabouts from the Successor’s mouth.
Now, with the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being silent and unheard from, they could only place their hopes on his Successor.
But this Successor was not legitimate—he had killed the original true Successor of the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being and taken everything for himself.
This left them not knowing what to say.
Meanwhile, within the Eternal Overcast Kingdom.
As the black jade carriage descended, the many members of the royal family, led by Jia Luo, all stepped forward to pay their respects.
Before this, after receiving Gu Changge’s message, Eldest Princess Jia Nan had arranged everything.
The Eternal Overcast Kingdom of today was effectively led by her.
“Greetings, Young Master Changge.”
“Since we parted at the Great Chu Celestial Dynasty,”
“I trust you have been well.”
Jia Luo’s face carried a respectful expression.
He gestured for Gu Changge to enter the hall.
The many royal family members behind him were also looking at Gu Changge with awe and reverence at this moment.
Even within the Eternal Overcast Kingdom, they had long heard the many rumors about Gu Changge.
Whether in status or cultivation, he already stood at the very peak of the Beyond, someone they had to look up to.
“Brother Jia Luo, it has been a long time.” Gu Changge smiled and returned the courtesy, walking into the great hall together with Jia Luo.
“My royal sister has already ordered a banquet prepared, to welcome Young Master Changge and wash away the dust of your journey.”
Jia Luo gestured slightly. Within the great hall, a feast had long been laid out.
Many spirit fruits and wines shimmered with glistening light, and a troupe of beautiful songstresses danced gracefully, their singing melodious and deeply moving.
The many ministers of the Eternal Overcast Kingdom had also been waiting here for some time, secretly sizing up Gu Changge.
Quite a few royal princesses also cast over gazes shimmering with unusual light, their hearts wandering in fanciful thoughts.
To put it bluntly, in the Beyond of today, no matter the place—
Any heavenly pride of a daughter who knew anything of Gu Changge invariably held either curiosity or admiration toward him.
Even though they were princesses of the Eternal Overcast Kingdom, they were no exception.
Soon, Gu Changge sat down with complete composure, gazed at the many delicacies and fine wines before him, and began to sample them, entirely at ease.
The spirit fruits of the Eternal Overcast, compared to those of the outside world, were more or less tainted with considerable Eternal Overcast Qi.
To ordinary Cultivators, this was a deadly poison that could corrode their cultivation and their Divine Soul.
But to Gu Changge, it had not the slightest effect.
“Has my royal sister not arrived yet?” Jia Luo asked the attendant maid beside him while pouring wine for Gu Changge.
In the Eternal Overcast Kingdom of today, Jia Nan was deeply valued by the several Great Ancestors, and the matter of receiving Gu Changge was entirely under her charge.
“In reply to Prince Jia Luo, the Eldest Princess hurried to the Ancestral Hall, and should now be on her way back.”
Hearing this, the maid answered respectfully, not daring to conceal anything.
Jia Luo’s brow twitched slightly.
The Ancestral Hall was normally the secluded cultivation ground of the several Great Ancestors. Without their summons, no one was permitted to disturb them.
Jia Nan had suddenly been called over—clearly, the Great Ancestors had something to entrust to her.
Thinking of this, Jia Luo glanced at Gu Changge without leaving a trace, thoughts stirring in his heart.
Regarding the matter of forging the Reincarnation Platform, he actually knew of it too.
And he knew very well that Gu Changge was not the true Successor of the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being.
Gu Changge controlled the inheritance of the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being, and the Eternal Overcast Kingdom happened to need his help—the two sides simply understood each other without speaking it aloud.
“The sights of the Eternal Overcast I saw along the way are rather far from what I had imagined.”
At this moment, Jia Luo’s train of thought was suddenly interrupted by Gu Changge’s soft chuckle beside him.
His expression shifted slightly, but he quickly returned to normal, smiling as he explained, “From ancient times to now, our Eternal Overcast has always been like this, never changing. It is only that outsiders have almost never set foot here and know very little of it.”
Gu Changge set down his wine cup and smiled faintly. “It seems I was overthinking.”
On his way here, he had already carefully observed the Eternal Overcast of today.
Honestly, though the Eternal Overcast Qi it contained was not small in amount, it fell far short of his expectations.
From a certain perspective, Gu Changge even felt that the Eternal Overcast was now withering away, fundamentally incapable of truly posing a threat to the Beyond.
Previously, he had asked Eldest Princess Jia Nan to obtain the Source of the Eternal Overcast for him.
She had made a hundred excuses, even stalling for a long stretch of time, before finally sending over a tiny bit.
At the time, Gu Changge had suspected whether some drastic upheaval had occurred in the Eternal Overcast.
And the explanation Jia Nan gave him was that internal strife had broken out in the Eternal Overcast Kingdom.
She needed to quell the chaos and restore order, and could not spare the extra time to seek out the Source of the Eternal Overcast for him.
But judging from today’s situation, it was not that Jia Nan lacked the time to seek the Source of the Eternal Overcast.
Rather, the Source of the Eternal Overcast had become extremely scarce, already very difficult to find—let alone to take out and trade with Gu Changge.
“If that’s the case, then this so-called Ancestral Worship should become extremely interesting.”
Gu Changge smiled somewhat meaningfully, his gaze suddenly turning toward a certain spot beyond the palace hall.
On the road here, he had sensed several gazes spying on him, carrying a certain scrutinizing, appraising intent.
However, he had other schemes and did not wish to startle the snake in the grass, so he had pretended not to notice.
Now it seemed that several big fellows were hiding within the Eternal Overcast.
## 708 Jia Nan’s Plan, Jia Jiu’er (Please Subscribe)
The mist hung heavy, wisps upon wisps shrouding the earth, like an indelible ghostly gloom.
To the outside world, the incomparably mysterious Eternal Overcast, apart from the Eternal Overcast Fog coiling and spreading everywhere, actually had nothing all that special about it.
In Gu Changge’s view, at least the rules of heaven and earth here were not so different from the outside world.
Palaces and towers stood in rows, mountain ranges and rivers were distributed across the land.
The earth was covered with the scars of ancient battlefields left behind, a scene of utter devastation.
Nearly all the Cultivators and beings of the Beyond feared the Eternal Overcast like ghosts and gods.
But in truth, what they feared was nothing more than the Eternal Overcast Fog—that strange and mysterious substance.
Upon arriving in the Eternal Overcast, Gu Changge had a premonition.
As long as he made contact with the origin object of the Eternal Overcast, he would have the confidence to bury the entire Beyond.
The Source of the Eternal Overcast was the top priority of his plan.
“Greetings, Young Master Changge.”
Jia Nan, arriving late, stepped into the palace hall and immediately spotted Gu Changge seated at the head position. She could not help but smile and cup her hands.
“Princess Jia Nan, I trust you have been well.”
Gu Changge lifted his eyes to look at her.
He nodded slightly.
“The Eternal Overcast cannot compare to the outside world. If our hospitality has been lacking in any way, I hope Young Master Changge will not take offense.”
Jia Nan said with a smile. Behind her followed many powerful experts.
Every one of their auras was extremely ancient and weathered.
In the Eternal Overcast, those who had cultivated for countless ages would, in the outside world, at the very least be Quasi-Emperor existences capable of sweeping aside an entire region.
And with Jia Nan’s arrival, the gazes of nearly everyone in the great hall turned toward her.
Before this, everyone knew that Changge bore the inheritance of the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being.
And this time, his personal journey to the Eternal Overcast was actually to fulfill the promise he had made to the Eldest Princess back then.
The matter of the Reincarnation Platform was of great importance, tugging at the heartstrings of practically all Yin Spirits.
Now that the Eldest Princess had appeared, she would surely discuss the forging of the Reincarnation Platform with Young Master Changge.
The many ministers of the Eternal Overcast Kingdom speculated amongst themselves.
To forge the Reincarnation Platform, the Eternal Overcast Kingdom had already waited for tens of millions of years, and most of the materials had more or less been gathered.
The only thing lacking was a being proficient in controlling the Dao of Reincarnation.
“Princess Jia Nan worries too much.”
Hearing this, Gu Changge waved his hand and smiled faintly, sweeping a glance over the several powerful figures behind Jia Nan.
“The foundation of the Eternal Overcast is not here—there isn’t even a single True Daoist present.”
“However, the Eternal Overcast Kingdom need not be so cautious and careful.”
“After all, since ancient times, there has never been any record of a True Daoist from the outside world setting foot in this place.”
“In that case, we shall trouble Young Master Changge when the time comes.”
Hearing these words, a smile also surfaced on Jia Nan’s face.
She then took a seat beside Gu Changge, took the wine pot from Jia Luo’s hands, and poured wine for him.
As the current overt ruler of the Eternal Overcast Kingdom, this gesture of hers already showed Gu Changge the utmost respect.
“As agreed, when the time comes I will help you forge the Reincarnation Platform. But as for the things I need, I hope you won’t go back on your word.”
Hearing this, Gu Changge looked at her with great interest.
A faint trace of unease flashed across Jia Nan’s face and vanished.
But she quickly recovered, squeezing out a smile as she said, “Naturally. Back then, the two of us swore an oath upon the Great Dao. I would never dare break the pact.”
She had no idea whether Gu Changge had seen through something or not.
All along, the Source of the Eternal Overcast could only be drawn from the ancient wells in the deepest part of the Homeland.
But now, the three ancestral origin wells were already on the verge of drying up.
Exactly how much Source of the Eternal Overcast remained, even she did not know.
Changge smiled faintly and did not expose Jia Nan.
In this world, no one had yet dared to try getting something from him for nothing.
Right now, what he wanted to know even more was what exactly had happened in the Homeland of the Eternal Overcast.
Why had it caused the Eternal Overcast to wither into decline?
Soon, this welcoming banquet came to an end, and the many royal daughters and ministers departed.
Within the great hall, only the royal family members of the Eternal Overcast Kingdom and Changge remained, and it suddenly became rather quiet.
Changge did not want to waste time. He got straight to the point and asked Jia Nan to take him to the place where the Reincarnation Platform would be forged.
“Young Master Changge, it is already getting late today. Why not rest for the night first?”
“Tomorrow, once everything has been prepared, you can make your move.”
However, hearing Gu Changge’s request, Jia Nan showed a somewhat troubled expression and said as much.
“We have to wait until tomorrow?”
Gu Changge smiled with seeming surprise, his tone calm and mild, making one feel as if bathed in a spring breeze.
But in his heart, he was not surprised at all.
Something must be hidden in the deepest part of the Eternal Overcast Kingdom’s Homeland—otherwise, Jia Nan would not be stalling like this.
After all, for the Eternal Overcast, wouldn’t forging the Reincarnation Platform sooner be better?
“Young Master Changge has traveled a long and arduous journey and must be somewhat weary.”
“The process of forging the Reincarnation Platform greatly drains one’s spirit and energy. So, just in case, I would like Young Master Changge to recover to your peak condition before acting.”
Jia Nan, seemingly afraid that Gu Changge would overthink it, could not help but explain.
“In that case, I shall follow the Eldest Princess’s arrangements.”
Gu Changge’s eyes showed a trace of something unusual as he smiled, though he did not say much more.
After all, his current status was merely that of a guest.
Since this host wanted him to wait one more night, what harm was there in waiting one more night?
It just so happened that tonight he could go probe the depths of this so-called Homeland of the Eternal Overcast.
At this moment, Jia Nan’s gaze suddenly swept over with a hint of authority.
It finally settled on a young girl standing toward the back among the disciples of the Eternal Overcast Kingdom.
The girl looked only fifteen or sixteen years old, petite and delicate, her skin white and crystalline like snow porcelain.
Silver hair draped over her shoulders, her eyes tinged with a faint glazed-blood color, her face expressionless, giving off an extremely cold, keep-away-from-me air.
Hearing Jia Nan call her now, the girl’s delicate brows furrowed slightly, a trace of faint puzzlement showing in her eyes as she looked over.
Toward Jia Nan, she was not as reverent as the other royal disciples, merely asking with some confusion.
“Young Master Changge has come from afar to forge the Reincarnation Platform for our Eternal Overcast Kingdom.”
“Spare no effort—tonight, you shall be responsible for attending to Young Master Changge.”
Jia Nan’s expression remained unchanged as she gave her a meaningful look and spoke, her words carrying an air that brooked no refusal.
Hearing these words, the other disciples of the Eternal Overcast Kingdom could not help but widen their eyes in shock.
It seemed they found it hard to believe.
Several of the young women among them even cast envious looks at the silver-haired girl.
Gu Changge also raised his eyebrows slightly, looking at Jia Nan with some interest.
“Eldest Princess, why go to such lengths?”
Jia Nan shook her head slightly and looked at him. “Young Master Changge has come from afar to resolve our Eternal Overcast’s troubles. How could we let even his rest and sleep go unattended? If word of that got out, wouldn’t it damage the Eternal Overcast Kingdom’s hospitality?”
Her explanation made the other royal disciples suddenly feel enlightened, thinking it made perfect sense.
However, Gu Changge’s smile suddenly became rather meaningful.
He said no more, instead turning to look at the silver-haired girl who seemed to still not have reacted.
“Sister... I...”
The silver-haired girl seemed stunned by these words as well.
The expression on her face instantly turned to utter shock, and only after a while did she come back to her senses, nearly doubting whether she had misheard.
Although for the royal daughters of the Eternal Overcast Kingdom,
such an opportunity to get close to Gu Changge was a once-in-a-lifetime chance they would be too busy envying—
she truly was the exception among them. She had no desire whatsoever for such an opportunity and only wanted to keep a respectful distance.
“Xiao Jiu, are you not even going to listen to your Imperial Sister’s words anymore?”
“Attending to Young Master Changge is an honor for you—countless people would beg for such a chance.”
Seeing the silver-haired girl fall silent without speaking,
Jia Nan’s expression darkened slightly as she looked at her, an indescribable meaning in her eyes, as if warning her.
The silver-haired girl looked at Jia Nan’s expression, and her tightly furrowed brows could only relax.
In the end, she sighed faintly in her heart, knowing she had no room to refuse.
Although Jia Nan was her blood sister, that did not mean she could defy Jia Nan’s will.
However, given her understanding of her own sister,
why would she suddenly make such an arrangement, even sending her own younger sister to attend to Gu Changge?
Was there some deeper meaning behind this?
“Yes, Imperial Sister.”
The silver-haired girl named Xiao Jiu returned to her previous expressionlessness and nodded in assent.
Jia Nan nodded with some satisfaction, then cupped her hands toward Gu Changge in farewell, going off to prepare tomorrow’s Ancestral Worship and the matters of forging the Reincarnation Platform.
She knew that with Xiao Jiu’s intelligence, she would surely understand her deeper intent.
Before the Reincarnation Platform was completed, Gu Changge absolutely could not be allowed to perceive the Eternal Overcast’s current state of exhaustion.
Otherwise, it would cause unimaginably terrifying consequences.
So before that, she had to find someone reliable to stay by Gu Changge’s side and keep track of his movements.
At the same time, it was also to prevent Gu Changge from finding his way to the deepest part of the Homeland during this period.
“What is your name?”
After leaving the great hall with the silver-haired girl,
Changge smiled with some interest and casually struck up a conversation with her.
The silver-haired girl’s face remained as unsmiling as ever.
Hearing his question, she said in a very respectful tone, “In reply to Young Master Changge, my name is Jia Jiu’er.”
By now, she had actually figured out her sister’s intention—it was not to have her curry favor with Gu Changge,
but to plant her at Gu Changge’s side to watch his movements, so as to avoid any unnecessary accidents.
Among the many royal disciples, her strength was the greatest.
“Jia Jiu’er... then what is your relationship with Jia Nan?”
Changge still looked intrigued.
“She is my blood sister,” Jia Jiu’er answered.
Hearing this, Gu Changge did not continue asking—he had already guessed Jia Nan’s intention.
It was just that Jia Nan seemed to have somewhat overestimated this little sister of hers.
Seeing that Gu Changge did not continue asking,
Jia Jiu’er instead felt somewhat puzzled in her heart, though mostly she felt anxious and uneasy.
If Gu Changge really wanted her to share his bed, could she refuse when the time came? And what should she do?
The palace was grand and magnificent, situated in the northwest of the Eternal Overcast Kingdom.
This was the temporary residence Jia Nan had specially arranged for Gu Changge.
Upon arriving here, Changge glanced with a trace of oddity at Jia Jiu’er, who stood at the palace entrance with struggle and apprehension on her face, and suddenly waved his hand with a smile. “I am not such a delicate person that I need someone attending me even in sleep. You should go back. Just tell your sister that I sent you back.”
As he said this, a flash of amusement passed through his tone.
However, hearing these words, Jia Jiu’er, who had been conflicted and struggling just moments ago, seemed to suddenly snap to her senses.
On her normally unsmiling little face, she squeezed out a smile and hurriedly shook her head. “Not at all. I beg Young Master Changge not to drive me away.”
If she were driven away, wouldn’t the matter her Imperial Sister Jia Nan had arranged end in failure?
How would she explain herself to her Imperial Sister then?
The origin of the Eternal Overcast, which could grant immortality and eternal life.
Although Jia Jiu’er looked only fifteen or sixteen years old,
by the lifespan standards of the Eternal Overcast royal family, her true age had long since exceeded a hundred years.
So Gu Changge had never regarded her as an ordinary young girl in the first place.
Moreover, she was an informant sent by Jia Nan.
“Since you don’t want to leave, then stand guard at the palace entrance tonight.”
Hearing this, Changge’s expression became somewhat playful. Then, without waiting for Jia Jiu’er’s reply, he walked straight into the palace.
“Young Master Changge...”
Jia Jiu’er watched Changge’s figure disappear, no longer able to hide the anxiety on her face, and could not help but call out.
Although she had been quiet and reserved since childhood, that did not mean she did not know what mattered.
This time, the Eternal Overcast was facing an unprecedented trial.
In the past, no matter how great the events that occurred, those Great Ancestors would never awaken.
This time, all Six Great Ancestors had awakened and emerged together—anyone who wasn’t a fool could guess that something momentous was about to happen in the Eternal Overcast.
Jia Nan had also emphasized the importance of the Reincarnation Platform more than once.
At a time like this, if she let Changge detect something in advance,
then she would become a sinner of the Eternal Overcast Kingdom, beyond redemption even with ten thousand deaths.
Now her heart was filled with regret—why had she shown reluctance and struggle just now? This was a disaster.
But just as Jia Jiu’er gritted her teeth and was about to step into the palace,
a terrifying pressure suddenly spread forth, as if a Devil Mountain stood before her, carrying sky-filling baleful aura.
“My master has ordered that no one is to disturb his rest.”
A burly figure clad in Dark Iron Battle Armor appeared, gazing at her with cold, merciless eyes.
Jia Jiu’er’s face turned pale, cold sweat instantly streaming down her forehead, not daring to make any rash moves.
She felt a terrifying divine sense enveloping her.
If she dared take one step forward, the burly figure before her would surely strike down without mercy, reducing her to nothing, body and soul.
This was a genuine True Daoist.
Even in the Beyond, where True Daoists had now emerged, such a being was enough to sweep through an entire world unrivaled,
with no match to be found.
Seeing this, Jia Jiu’er had no choice but to retreat step by step, not daring to provoke a True Daoist.
She had never imagined that Gu Changge, coming to the Eternal Overcast, would actually have such a subordinate at his side.
Moreover, this person showed no fear whatsoever of the Yin Qi within the Eternal Overcast.
Ah Da stood coldly at the palace entrance, watching Jia Jiu’er retreat step by step, his expression not changing in the slightest, as if looking at a lowly ant.
Jia Jiu’er’s expression shifted again and again—fear, unwillingness, and regret.
In the end, it was her own affected aloofness. She had thought that facing a figure like Changge, she need not grovel and fawn like the other royal disciples, reading his moods and treading carefully.
Yet in the end, in Gu Changge’s eyes, she was no different from an ordinary ant.
“I hope nothing unexpected happens tonight.”
Taking a deep breath to calm herself down,
Jia Jiu’er simply stood in attendance at the palace entrance. When the time came, she could only explain to her Imperial Sister.
She dared not provoke Gu Changge’s wrath, fearing it would bring about her own death.
With Gu Changge’s strength, if he wanted to leave the palace and go somewhere, it would take no effort at all.
Her standing guard here was nothing more than being able to give Jia Nan an account afterward.
Inside the palace, Gu Changge paid no heed to Jia Jiu’er’s many shifts of expression.
A little girl—did she really think he would take her seriously?
The depths of the Eternal Overcast Kingdom’s Homeland were perpetually wreathed in wisps of grey mist.
He sat cross-legged on the bed, waves of profound light spreading from between his brows, and a palace that seemed to stand at the pinnacle of reincarnation slowly emerged.
Terrifying Principles of Dao interwove, causing the very void before him to begin collapsing.
It was as if it could not contain the aura of this Spiritual Palace and was about to be crushed into ashen nothingness.
The next moment, the gates of the Spiritual Palace swung open, and a small figure with features identical to Gu Changge’s stepped out.
Its eyes were fathomless and emotionless, as if all feeling in the heavens had been extinguished within them.
The little figure’s gaze was cold, exuding a chilling, terrifying aura.
Even a True Daoist who saw it would tremble with fear and prostrate themselves on the ground.
Changge looked at his own Primordial Spirit and spoke indifferently.
The little figure’s gaze remained cold and unchanged. It lifted a foot and stepped forward, instantly tearing through the space before it, its body vanishing.
The deepest part of the Eternal Overcast Kingdom was a deathly silent land shrouded in mist.
The sky and earth were gloomy and grey, permeated with an ominous aura.
All light and rules here seemed severed, as if some invisible substance separated everything in between, devouring it all, leaving only eternal silence, darkness, and cold.
Every wisp of mist seemed incomparably heavy, stirred by some unknown force, drifting here for countless ages. If there truly was someone on the other end, why had they delayed so long in coming to deliver us?
An extremely decayed existence sat cross-legged here, his entire body looking tattered and broken,
as if stitched together from different living beings.
He spoke, his words flat and emotionless, unmoved by external things.
“Bring out the Platform and light the bonfire. This is the only thing we can do now.”
Another existence spoke, his eyes cold and desolate. As they turned, great stars seemed to rumble and revolve within them, emitting a terrifying might that made the surrounding rules nearly explode.
As the Six Great Ancestors of the Eternal Overcast, the time they had existed was far too ancient and long.
It could even be said, without exaggeration, that they came first, and only then did the Eternal Overcast come into being.
The origins of the Eternal Overcast were extremely mysterious.
When that calamity swept across the Beyond back then, no mighty figure could find any trace or clue related to it.
It came suddenly, without the slightest warning, as if it had fallen from some mysterious and unknown dimension, corroding the entire Beyond and its myriad heavens, its countless ancient worlds.
It was unfathomable and terrifying.
Even True Daoists dared not touch it.
“The Ancestral Wells are about to run dry too.”
“If we still cannot find that place, we fear we too shall fall into eternal silence.”
“What the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being promised us back then... I’m afraid he will find it difficult to fulfill.”
They murmured in low voices, gazing toward the deepest reaches of the Homeland, their eyes filled with worry, with reluctance, but above all with unwillingness and regret.
All things in the world have an end to their lifespans; even Immortals are no exception.
Yet they, relying on those three Ancestral Wells, had survived era after era, living through endless ages.
Even though their cultivation could no longer advance by half a step, it did not affect their immortality in the slightest.
They had been waiting for an opportunity.
A chance to transcend, to break free of this shackle—from the very birth of the Absolute Yin Heaven until now, they had waited all along.
Unfortunately, they waited until the three Ancestral Wells were nearly dried up, and still they never saw the day that the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being had predicted.
“The Stage of Reincarnation Enlightenment contains the profound mysteries of life and death. It can reverse the remaining power lingering in this world and help us reignite our final flame.”
“If it still cannot reflect that place, then we can only choose eternal silence.”
The Six Great Ancestors spoke, their voices calm, devoid of emotion.
Now that even they were about to fall into eternal silence, what did it matter if the entire Absolute Yin Heaven collapsed into ruin?
Back then, they had been tainted by a Grey Fog that leaked from who-knows-where, and by a twist of fate had stumbled into a strange and unfathomable land.
There, their souls and physiques underwent tens of millions of collapses and reconstructions, enduring the most terrifying torment in this world.
Because of the peculiar nature of that strange land, even under such circumstances, they never died, retaining their consciousness and awareness all along.
It was also there that they found three ancient wells—the very three Ancestral Wells of today’s Absolute Yin Heaven.
Perhaps all the Daoist lineages and powers of the Beyond could never imagine that the calamity of the Absolute Yin Heaven, which struck fear and trembling into everyone, actually originated from three ancient wells.
Over these years, the Six Great Ancestors had tried every method imaginable to find that strange land once more, to enter it again, but without the slightest success.
That strange land represented misfortune and great terror.
Back then, they had merely wandered into its outermost layer, and there they had obtained near-eternal, undying life.
Although such a gain came at a grievous, unimaginable price.
“Why do I feel like someone is spying on us?”
At that moment, one of the Great Ancestors suddenly furrowed his brow and looked beyond the Homeland.
He sensed that there seemed to be a gaze there, peering at what was happening on this side.
For them, although throughout these long ages they had been unable to improve their cultivation in the slightest, the spiritual power they had accumulated and tempered over that time was so vast and mighty it was simply unimaginable.
Even facing a true Celestial Realm existence, they would not fear in the slightest.
“Someone has come to our Homeland.”
The other Great Ancestors also spoke, their gazes instantly becoming incomparably profound.
A boundless divine power swept out, like a heavenly palace or a universe pressing down, crushing Principle after Principle of Dao until they burst apart.
The entire Homeland was splitting open, the commotion shaking the heavens, mist surging skyward.
Their senses were so keen that they could almost be certain someone had appeared there just now—this could not possibly be their illusion.
But now that presence had long since vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.
“It seems... it’s that junior surnamed Gu. In the end, he’s grown somewhat restless.”
One Great Ancestor spoke, his voice cold and emotionless.
“Since he has come here, he must have grown suspicious of our Absolute Yin Heaven. The forging of the Reincarnation Platform is a matter of great importance—for now, let him be.”
“If the forging of the Platform fails, he won’t be able to leave this place either. He will perish into silence together with us. There is no need for further words.”
The other Great Ancestors also slowly settled back into silence and did not strike again.
In terms of cultivation alone, they could at most reach the level of True Daoists—not even comparable to Remnant Immortals.
But in the domains of spiritual power and the Principles of Dao, they dared to assert that even if all the Daoist lineages and powers of the Beyond brought out their full foundations, no one could stand as their equal.
So although Gu Changge’s strength was terrifying, they paid it little mind, confident they could easily suppress him.
After all, there were six of them, and behind them stood the three Ancestral Wells, which could wash away all decay and grant them eternal, indestructible life.
In the deepest part of the Eternal Overcast Kingdom’s Homeland.
Mist hung heavy and dense, layers of grey fog drifting about, casting thick shadows, like a gloomy city of ghosts.
Here, heaven and earth were hard to bury, rules had collapsed, and all was a stretch of grey—beyond that, nothing could be seen.
The Six Great Ancestors of the Absolute Yin Heaven guarded the three mysterious Ancestral Wells, standing at the highest point of the Homeland, coldly overlooking this stretch of heaven and earth.
It was as if they had existed in this world since the very creation of heaven and earth.
Ancient and primordial, their entire bodies wreathed in unending grey fog, their eyes either cold and emotionless or hollow, all a deathly grey.
Only on the arms extending beyond the great fog could one see numerous traces of decay and corpse-like mottling.
At this moment, every living being in the entire Absolute Yin Heaven felt a palpitating urge to submit, to prostrate themselves in worship toward the deepest part of the Homeland.
The Six Great Ancestors had shaped the entire Absolute Yin Heaven, and at the same time had nurtured and created all Yin Spirits.
In past eras, even when some great upheaval occurred in the Absolute Yin Heaven, only a single Great Ancestor had ever emerged into the world.
A scene like today, with all six Great Ancestors appearing together, was absolutely unprecedented since the creation of the Absolute Yin Heaven.
Ordinary Yin Spirits simply could not comprehend or imagine what this signified.
Only those with relatively pure bloodlines, and some Yin Spirits of profound cultivation, could glean a premonition from it.
At this time, within a palace of the Eternal Overcast Kingdom.
Eldest Princess Jia Nan was frowning as she handled various matters.
Suddenly, sensing the enormous disturbance from the depths of the Homeland, she couldn’t help but rise to her feet, her gaze turning toward that place, filled with uncertainty and unease.
Only a select few in the Royal Court knew of the Great Ancestors’ emergence. Now that all six Great Ancestors had manifested together, what on earth was the reason?
What matter could have alarmed them?
Jia Nan’s brows knitted tightly. She hurriedly set down what was in her hands, transformed into a divine rainbow, and rushed toward the Homeland.
At the same time, she sent word to the other experts of the Eternal Overcast Kingdom, ordering them all to hurry over as well.
Besides the six Great Ancestors, the Eternal Overcast Kingdom still had quite a few ancient existences.
Though their strength fell far short of the Six Great Ancestors, they were genuine True Daoists, capable of holding down a region.
“Could something have gone wrong on Xiao Jiu’s side? Did Gu Changge sneak into the Homeland?”
Waves of unease rose in Jia Nan’s heart, worried that Gu Changge might have noticed something at this juncture.
Soon, she passed through layer upon layer of restrictions and stepped into a withered, desolate land.
Braving the thick, scattering grey mist, she found the Six Great Ancestors within the Homeland.
“Great Ancestors, has something happened here?”
Jia Nan’s face was respectful as she couldn’t help but ask.
“Nothing major. It should be that junior surnamed Gu who made his way to the Homeland. After we detected him, he quickly fled.”
One Great Ancestor glanced at her and spoke indifferently, his tone without the slightest ripple.
“Gu Changge... he really couldn’t hold back after all.”
Jia Nan’s expression darkened slightly.
She had already ordered Jia Jiu’er to keep a close watch on Gu Changge’s movements, yet Gu Changge had still secretly infiltrated the Homeland.
“He shouldn’t have noticed anything. The moment he snuck into this place, we detected him.”
Another Great Ancestor spoke, not believing that in such a short time Gu Changge could have discovered anything.
However, they also had no proof whatsoever that the disturbance they had sensed earlier was indeed Gu Changge.
Hearing this, Jia Nan understood.
Gu Changge must have just stepped into the Homeland when all six Great Ancestors sensed him together.
After all, having survived for nearly endless ages, the Six Great Ancestors’ perception was astonishing—especially with the Homeland and the Ancestral Wells at their backs.
Here, they were nearly immortal gods, possessing vast, unimaginable might, omnipotent.
“If that’s the case, then I can rest easy.”
With that, Jia Nan let out a long sigh of relief. She did not linger to disturb the Six Great Ancestors and soon quietly withdrew.
In her view, since Gu Changge now knew of the Six Great Ancestors’ existence, he likely wouldn’t dare act recklessly in the coming days.
In a certain sense, this was also an enormous deterrence.
“So there were six old fossils hiding here. But this aura is far too decayed.”
Meanwhile, within the palace, Gu Changge slowly rose to his feet.
At the center of his brow, a vast fluctuation emerged as his Primordial Spirit, in the form of a little figure, swept through the void and swiftly vanished.
Truth be told, what he had just seen was somewhat beyond Gu Changge’s expectations.
He had long known that the Eternal Devouring Qi within the Absolute Yin Heaven was waning.
But he never imagined that the Eternal Devouring Qi had actually birthed six old monsters like these—who knew how many ages they had been lingering on, clinging to life.
That decayed, ancient, vile aura was like a corpse that had rotted away in a coffin for era after era.
Of course, what surprised him most was that the spiritual power of these few was enormously vast, far exceeding what the True Daoist realm should be capable of.
“The Qi flowing through their bodies shaped the current Absolute Yin Heaven... or was it some so-called artifact of origin that created everything?”
Gu Changge fell into deep thought.
He kept feeling that, somewhere in the unseen, some figure was scheming and plotting all of this.
Why was the Absolute Yin Heaven so desperate to forge the Reincarnation Platform by any means necessary?
Before coming to the Absolute Yin Heaven, Gu Changge had never intended to forge a Reincarnation Platform for them at all—he had only planned to take the Source of the Eternal Overcast and leave.
But judging by the current situation, this Reincarnation Platform had to be forged no matter what.
Gu Changge wasn’t worried that the Eternal Overcast Kingdom would suddenly move against him. Before the Reincarnation Platform was successfully forged, no matter how much resentment they harbored, they wouldn’t say much.
Tonight, for the entire Absolute Yin Heaven, was destined to be anything but peaceful.
The Six Great Ancestors had appeared, standing tall in the depths of the Homeland, their figures incomparably immense, propping up heaven and earth, shrouded in endless grey mist—enough to make one tremble with dread, unable to resist the urge to kneel.
Apart from Jia Nan, no one knew what had happened in the Absolute Yin Heaven’s Homeland, or why the Six Great Ancestors had been alarmed.
Nearly all Yin Spirits were shaken to the core, bowing in worship toward that direction.
Many grew fearful and restless.
“Why have the Great Ancestors all awakened and been stirred at once?”
Some extremely powerful Yin Spirits murmured.
Jia Jiu’er’s heart also palpitated. She couldn’t help but bow respectfully toward the Homeland, then turned to look at the palace sitting in silence.
Ah Da still stood there like a terrifying mountain, exuding a coldness and pressure that warned strangers to keep away.
She didn’t dare approach. Even though she suspected the six Great Ancestors’ disturbance was related to Gu Changge, she didn’t dare go verify it.
The next day, in the enormous plaza at the very center of the Eternal Overcast Kingdom’s imperial capital.
Chunks of black crystal engraved with strange patterns and characters were stacked and arranged there.
These black crystals were impeccably orderly, their origins unknown, their bodies wreathed in a faint, elusive aura of death.
Even Yin Spirits who drew near felt as though their very souls would freeze.
On the other side were piled large quantities of white crystals, likewise engraved with strange patterns and characters.
Unlike the black crystals, these white crystals brimmed with exuberant life force, wreathed in wisps of divine chains of vitality.
The area around the plaza had already been cleared.
Apart from Jia Nan and the others, no Yin Spirits could approach—they weren’t even permitted to watch from a distance.
“So these are the materials for forging the Reincarnation Platform? Life Stones and Death Stones?”
Gu Changge appeared and walked over, followed by the silent Ah Da and the somewhat anxious and uneasy Jia Jiu’er.
“These are the Life Stones and Death Stones my clan has gathered over these endless ages, to be used in forging the Reincarnation Platform. They should be sufficient.”
Jia Nan answered, casting a meaningful glance at Jia Jiu’er, but Jia Jiu’er only shook her head, avoiding her gaze.
Seeing this, Jia Nan knew that last night’s assignment for Jia Jiu’er to keep watch on Gu Changge had surely failed.
In truth, she hadn’t held much hope for it to begin with.
“Life Stones and Death Stones are hard to come by. Only in the Yellow Springs, which legend says touches the lands of yin and death, might one have a chance to see them.”
“I never expected the Eternal Overcast Kingdom to have gathered so many.”
Gu Changge spoke with what seemed like a sigh, as if completely unaware of what had happened last night.
“After all, this concerns the great matter of the Reincarnation Platform. No matter how hard they are to find, my clan will spare nothing to obtain them.”
Jia Nan answered with a smile, her words carrying a hidden meaning—she wanted to tell Gu Changge that forging the Reincarnation Platform was of utmost importance to the Absolute Yin Heaven, so important that they would give everything they had.
On another level, she was also worried that Gu Changge might tamper with something in the process.
Even the six Great Ancestors knew nothing of the Dao of Reincarnation.
“Since the materials are all here, let’s begin.”
“Oh, right—the thing I asked for. I wonder if Princess Jia Nan has prepared it?”
Gu Changge smiled faintly, then shifted his tone at the end, his gaze turning to Jia Nan.
“Naturally.”
“Inside here is what Young Master Changge requested. The remaining portion will be presented with both hands once the Reincarnation Platform is complete.”
Hearing this, Jia Nan was unsurprised. She had a maid behind her hand over a pitch-black jar to Gu Changge.
She knew Gu Changge was the type who never acted without seeing the goods first.
Although the Absolute Yin Heaven was now withering away and the Source of the Eternal Overcast was exceedingly precious, taking out a portion to stabilize Gu Changge first was still feasible.
“Princess Jia Nan is certainly straightforward.”
With a mere wave of his hand, he stowed away the pitch-black jar without even giving it a second glance, as if he didn’t care in the slightest how much Source of the Eternal Overcast it contained.
“He shouldn’t dare play any tricks—unless he doesn’t want to walk out of the Absolute Yin Heaven alive.”
In the deepest part of the Absolute Yin Heaven’s Homeland, six cold, emotionless gazes remained fixed on Gu Changge’s every move in the plaza, their divine senses surging.
Over the following days, this place was enveloped in a mysterious black-and-white radiance.
Great swaths of divine fire blazed, melting the Life Stones and Death Stones, then reassembling them according to some order.
Rules collapsed, time flickered in and out of view, and an unfathomable power circulated.
In a trance, the crowd saw a surging Yellow Springs emerge from an unknown dimension, carrying within it countless wronged souls and bones of the dead.
Within that Yellow Springs, a Platform rose and sank, wreathed in black and white, yin and yang in correspondence, life and death moving in tandem.
“This aura... there’s no mistaking it. Truly no mistaking it.”
“It really is the Reincarnation Platform that the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being spoke of—it can reflect that place!”
At this moment, even the Six Great Ancestors, whose states of mind were like dead seas that would never ripple again, couldn’t help but have their gazes sharpen, a flash of delight and excitement passing through them.
At the same time, in some mysterious and distant stretch of space.
A Daoist sat cross-legged amid silent, lifeless nothingness, his entire body shrouded in hazy Daoist Qi, as if...
It seemed he had sensed something, and suddenly opened his eyes.
“This fluctuation... who lit the coordinates? Oh... so it’s over there.”
“It seems the time for harvest has come.”
His eyes were clear and bright, yet at the same time seemed endlessly murky and ancient, at times cold and profound, utterly devoid of emotion.
In just an instant, his gaze seemed to pierce through time and the ages, washing over some distant era.
But in the next moment, he seemed to suddenly perceive something.
This Daoist, who resembled an ancient deity, let out a cold laugh. “Ignorant ants. In this game, you never had the slightest chance from the very beginning.”
As he spoke, ripples spread through the void before him, and a scene emerged.
It was a world equally ancient and immeasurably distant. Great Universes were collapsing one after another, their rules and order shattering.
The sounds of slaughter shook the heavens, battle intent surged to the skies. Supreme experts whose blood qi could tear apart the firmament let out roars of despair, battling an unspeakable figure from some unknown dimension. Swathes of figures fell and crumbled, turning into a sky-filling rain of blood.
“The handiwork of the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being... why did it suddenly crack?”
This great battle was incomparably brutal. The entire Great Universe was collapsing, transforming into an ancient battlefield.
Great stars shattered into ash one after another. Amid the surrounding ruined starfields, far too many corpses could be seen.
“Kill this monster!”
“Kill! Don’t let the sacrifices of countless forebears across endless ages go to waste!”
“This is our final chance!”
Beneath this broken sky, every expert and living being roared, their bodies burning, wreathed in light that illuminated the entire firmament as they fought that figure standing tall in the unknown dimension.
But that figure was simply too enormous. Its entire body seemed forged of Immortal Divine Gold, standing at the very end of heaven and earth.
Golden and radiant, its features were blurred, its face indistinct.
Only a pair of cold, merciless eyes could be seen, regarding all living things as mere straw dogs.
It looked very much like a Human, yet it had three heads and six arms.
Each head was different, resembling dragons and phoenixes. Its six arms were long, wielding various divine weapons, covered in multicolored fur that chilled the heart.
With a single downward sweep, the entire universe collapsed and crumbled, torn to pieces.
Countless experts roared as they burst apart, body and soul annihilated, dissolving into nothing.
Yet even so, some still charged forward without fear of death.
Even if they could only inflict the most insignificant wound upon this terrifying monster, they would not hesitate.
It was as if their hearts held only one thought: to destroy this horrifying creature.
It was a scene of madness that shook the soul.
“Kill!”
Far too many experts, like moths to a flame, hurled themselves fearlessly at the terrifying monster.
Then, one after another, they exploded in the void, souls and all, vanishing into nothing.
The terrifying monster seemed utterly emotionless. Its six arms could tear this universe apart.
The next moment, it reached down and grabbed. Its claws, sharp as blades, easily sliced through all rules and order, seizing the several beings with the most powerful auras among the crowd, and then—pu—crushed them.
Physiques burst apart, white bones laid bare, a sky of bloody mist scattering, accompanied by a rain of broken laws drifting down.
These most powerful beings—even their weapons exploded.
The spirits within let out mournful cries, following their masters into death.
“Even Emperor Wushuang and Emperor Heng Yu have fallen...”
“Aaaah... fight this monster to the death!”
Seeing this, the remaining beings cried out in terror, their faces covered in despair.
Some could not bear the tremendous blow; with a scream, they fainted dead away.
This scene was too horrifying, leaving all trembling with dread, their bodies cold to the extreme, frozen in place.
Even the invincible Emperors and Sovereigns among them had been crushed to death by that monster, their blood mist bursting apart, dyeing the sky scarlet.
Everyone felt a despair and helplessness, with no way out whatsoever.
It was as if all of this had always been a dream, an illusion—long since predestined.
No matter what price they paid, they could never stop any of it.
“Becoming an Immortal was a scam all along. There are no Immortals in this world at all. Behind the Celestial Gate there is only this monster. Everyone who set foot on the Immortal Path was devoured by it.”
“All of us are its nourishment. When it has eaten its fill, it will devour this heaven and earth.”
“Just as the ancient records say—it is the world-destroying beast, come to destroy this heaven and earth, and then return all to reincarnation.”
An old man lamented, blood streaming from his eyes, his body bursting apart—a miserable sight.
For endless ages, they had been unraveling the mystery of becoming Immortals, seeking to step beyond that gate.
For this, countless sages and forebears had paid a terrible price, seeking the Celestial Path.
Yet afterward, no word ever came back. They vanished without a trace, like a small pebble sinking into the sea.
Even those Ancient Emperors and Ancient Sovereigns who had swept all before them since antiquity, conquering all rivals, annihilating every foe, and reaching the very peak—never returned.
Some said they had become Immortals and gone to another world.
Others said they were trapped within the Celestial Path, unable to turn back.
But the truth was this: on the other side of the Celestial Gate lay a broken universe, within which dwelled an incomparably terrifying monster.
For endless ages, every supreme expert who set foot on that path became rations for that terrifying monster, devoured by it, their corpses nearly filling that entire universe.
Countless later generations, by deciphering the many clues left behind by their predecessors, finally came to understand all of this.
Becoming an Immortal was nothing but a scam.
Or rather—the Immortal Path they had bitterly pursued all along simply did not exist.
For endless ages, everyone had been deceived by this colossal lie.
They threw themselves forward one after another in pursuit, only to end up as feed for that terrifying monster.
“Just who laid out this heaven-spanning lie?!”
“Why deceive us for endless ages, only to tell us in the end that all of it was a lie?! That heaven and earth are merely a prison, that we are nothing but livestock raised here by someone, feed raised specially for a monster?!”
Some raged against the injustice of heaven and earth, tears in their eyes, bodies trembling, despairing to the extreme.
Even more roared and charged forth, to fight that terrifying monster to the death.
But as that figure’s six hands descended, boundless light and rules exploded.
Heaven and earth turned grey, divine radiance surged, rules shattered, and countless battle cries were drowned out.
This Great Universe was collapsing. It seemed all the stars in the heavens trembled, about to fall.
“We schemed for so many years, finally raising an army to fight our way to this side... are we to be utterly annihilated today, all becoming moonlight on water, flowers in a mirror?”
“I cannot accept this! Why has it come to this?! Heaven, open your eyes!”
An Emperor with a terrifying aura roared. The imperial weapon in his hand bloomed with boundless light, cascading vast chains of divine rules to protect the army behind him.
But the next moment, a halberd-light slashed forth from the terrifying monster’s hand, and with a pu, struck this Emperor between the brows.
His head burst apart on the spot, his Soul Fire instantly dimming and extinguishing.
The imperial weapon in his grasp wailed mournfully, then shattered with a crack.
In the world behind them, they were invincible Emperors and Sovereigns.
They had once been unmatched for an entire era, ruling over all above and below.
Yet in the hands of this terrifying monster, they were as weak as torn paper, easily ripped apart.
Many among them had lain dormant for several eras for this very day, waiting.
Yet when this day truly arrived, they discovered in despair—
That everything had long been decided. The gap was like a chasm between heaven and earth. They had not the slightest chance.
Blood rain fell from the heavens, and all was lamentation.
Within this broken universe, the armies that followed these Emperors and Sovereigns all burst apart, body and soul annihilated.
The devastated land was drowned beneath oceans of corpses—a sight of utter horror.
“All who resist shall be killed without mercy.”
That terrifying monster’s three heads turned slightly, emitting an ancient divine voice.
Those eyes remained cold and emotionless throughout. It stood at the end of heaven and earth, as if stationed there on purpose.
Then its six great hands stretched across this expanse, beginning to seize the corpses and flesh below and devour them, producing chewing sounds that chilled one to the marrow.
At the end of this broken universe stood an incomparably grand gate, wreathed in celestial intent, sacred and extraordinary.
But now this gate was slowly closing, pushed by a supreme and boundless force, beginning to shut.
As if sealing off and isolating the two universes outside and inside the gate.
Meanwhile, in a distant unknown dimension—
That Daoist seated cross-legged in the void flicked his hand, extinguishing the scene before him.
“The Chiyou Ancient World... come to think of it, it once produced a figure like Heavenly Monarch Chi You. Yet now it cannot even handle a Dharma Body of Remnant Immortal level.”
“But becoming Immortals? A bunch of ants dreaming of becoming Immortals. Becoming the nourishment for this poor Daoist’s Immortal King Fruit Position—that is your best destination.”
He let out a cold laugh, the depths of his eyes utterly indifferent, unmoved by the scene just now.
Over these endless ages, he had wandered the myriad worlds of the heavens.
Similar arrangements—who knew how many vast and mysterious ancient great worlds they were spread across.
Though those ancient great worlds were far inferior to the Beyond, the foundations they had accumulated since the creation of the world were not to be underestimated.
Given enough time, it was not impossible for them to grow to a level approaching the Beyond.
And since the Forbidden Epoch, the true Celestial Domain and the Beyond had been severed from all under heaven.
The Celestial Path collapsed, the Principles of Dao fractured, even the Great Dao perished—no one could become an Immortal.
Those ancient great worlds, extremely far from the Beyond, knew little of this, and still dreamed of ascending via the Celestial Path.
And so, this gave the Daoist the perfect breeding ground—using the Celestial Path as bait to lure the supreme experts of those ancient worlds to their deaths.
“For this poor Daoist, this is the finest opportunity to attain the Immortal King Fruit Position.”
“When the true Celestial Path descends upon the world, and my ten thousand avatars return to one, I shall naturally touch that realm once beyond my reach.”
The Daoist rose from where he sat. In his profound gaze burned an ambition impossible to conceal.
He was a figure of the Celestial Ancient Times. His peak cultivation back then had long since surpassed the Celestial Realm.
He even controlled the Power of Reincarnation—even the mightiest experts of the Celestial Realm could do nothing to him.
But the Dao of Reincarnation was the most mysterious and vast of all, involving time itself.
Even after studying it for endless ages, he had gained little.
Let alone using the Dao of Reincarnation to attain the Immortal King Fruit Position.
He had nearly despaired of it, feeling he could never set foot in that domain.
But unexpectedly, in the Forbidden Epoch, when heaven and earth collapsed and the river of time buried that era, when Immortals and mortals were forever severed—
He chanced upon six strange beings tainted by an ominous grey mist, whose Primordial Spirits and Physiques had been reforged through reincarnation countless times.
Those six beings were clearly not powerful, yet they possessed a near-immortal, indestructible quality.
From their mouths, the Daoist learned of a place filled with mysterious grey mist.
That place contained the secret of immortality.
And those six beings had merely been tainted by a wisp of its aura within—yet that alone was enough to guarantee their Primordial Spirits and Physiques would never decay, enduring as long as heaven and earth itself.
Though that grey mist represented both immortality and corruption, and the process involved unimaginable agony and torment—
Compared to eternal, undying life, what did that matter?
At the time, the rules of heaven and earth had only just broken, the Dao had faded, and the Daoist’s cultivation had been greatly diminished, difficult to restore.
So, knowing full well the six harbored a great secret, he did not move to interrogate them by force.
Instead, he left behind many schemes, preparing to investigate later.
And at that time, the six had given him a bowl of well water, said to be drawn from that strange and mysterious land.
“Thanks to that bowl of well water, I glimpsed true life and death, comprehended the true Dao, and gained the chance to touch the Immortal King Fruit Position.”
“I have a premonition—in this era, the true Celestial Gate will appear. The day I return to my peak is not far off.”
The Daoist’s eyes were bright yet profound, but at this moment utterly cold and emotionless. He gazed toward a certain expanse of space, murmuring to himself.
Though his schemes and arrangements spanned ancient universes in every direction—
That did not mean he could currently wield power surpassing the Celestial Realm.
In order to move more silently, like a shadow behind the heavens, evading the decay of his lifespan and the interference of rules and order—
He had even gone so far as to split his original Source Dao Fruit into ten thousand pieces, existing as Dharma Bodies stationed within the various ancient worlds.
And those ancient worlds were ones he had carefully selected—back gardens and breeding farms for his livestock.
“So many years have passed. Those six fellows should still be alive. It seems the coordinates I left back then are finally about to serve their purpose.”
A cold smile appeared on the Daoist’s face. He tore open the universe before him with his bare hands and stepped through, vanishing swiftly.
The Beyond was extremely far from this place. Even with his cultivation, getting there would take no short amount of time.
But the Daoist did not mind. To him, time was the one thing he lacked least.
For in the Celestial Ancient Times, he had borne a name—the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being.
At the plaza in the center of the Royal Court—
Dense black and white interwove here. Great swathes of Life Stones and Death Stones cracked and melted under Gu Changge’s mighty power.
Then, in a particular sequence, they were reforged and reconstructed, built into the form of a Platform.
Every inch of it was etched with wondrous and intricate Dao patterns—life and death revolving, reincarnation alternating.
Even ordinary Cultivators could sense that this Platform was anything but simple.
Wisps of reincarnation’s essence cascaded from the Platform’s four corners, shrouding it like waterfalls.
A mysterious and unfathomable power flowed quietly atop the Platform, inspiring awe—making one want to prostrate oneself and comprehend the power of time and reincarnation.
“This aura... there’s no mistake. It truly is the Stage of Reincarnation Enlightenment—though only an embryonic form.”
Deep within the Homeland of the Eternal Overcast Kingdom, the Six Great Ancestors stared fixedly at this Platform, their emotions surging violently.
They had waited for this day—waited far, far too long.
According to the words the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being had left behind, as long as the Reincarnation Platform was successfully forged—
And the Guiding Flame was lit upon it, it would reflect that mysterious land.
Though they had only stumbled into it by accident back then, they had long since come to regard themselves as beings of that mysterious place, longing every moment to return.
Over the years, they had tried every method to contact that place, hoping the beings there would guide them back.
And now, Gu Changge had forged the Reincarnation Platform, rekindling immense hope in their hearts.
Crack.
But just then, a crisp sound of shattering suddenly came from the center of the plaza.
The expressions of the Six Great Ancestors, filled with anticipation and hope, instantly froze, as if they had turned to stone.
The expressions of Jia Nan and the others also stiffened at once, the smiles vanishing from their faces.
“Hm? It was perfectly fine—why did it suddenly crack?”
Gu Changge, who had been channeling his mind into the Platform, seemed to have only just noticed.
He could not help but raise an eyebrow, saying with some surprise.