Gu Changge's Plan and Calculations, the Fishing Net Has Been Cast
Gu Changge’s Plan and Calculations, the Fishing Net Has Been Cast
Everything was unfolding exactly as expected. The Tree of Epoch had emerged into the world.
The changes in this universe were immense. Just from the rules of heaven and earth and the aura alone, one could tell how different it was from before.
Gu Changge strode through the star domains, his divine sense sweeping across everything as he began to investigate how altering ancient history had affected the present world.
What he cared about most was, in fact, the legends concerning Gods’ Ruins.
As for the other changes, they were all insignificant and did not affect his plans in the slightest.
Compared to before, many Holy Lands and clans had been destroyed, vanishing into ancient history. However, many new clans and forces had also risen. The number of True Daoists born in this world had not been affected either.
Some ancient life stars had long since perished and disappeared. The Ziwei Star Dynasty he had seen the last time he came to this universe had actually vanished as well. Since its Founding Ancestor never attained the position of True Daoist, there was naturally no continuation that followed.
However, the disappearance of the Ziwei Star Dynasty had instead paved the way for the rise of a force called the Ascension Celestial Dynasty. At its peak, it was even grander than the Ziwei Divine Dynasty had been.
The founder of the Ascension Celestial Dynasty was a True Daoist who possessed the Celestial Phoenix Bloodline. Later generations called her Empress Huang Yu. In her early years, she had accidentally stumbled into the legendary Gods’ Ruins, where she encountered a supreme figure who meticulously taught her for several thousand years. After leaving Gods’ Ruins, she cultivated bitterly for eight hundred thousand years before finally bearing the Mandate of Heaven.
From the looks of it, that event had an enormous impact on later generations. In the end, she still attained the Imperial Throne and founded a Celestial Dynasty.
Gu Changge uncovered a great deal of useful information. His divine sense swept across many ancient life stars, and he also learned much about the little Celestial Phoenix from back then.
Among all this, the rise and fall of many forces and Daoist traditions was actually within his expectations.
And within this rolling river of ancient history, Gods’ Ruins had indeed left behind a rich and colorful stroke.
Even now, there were still Cultivators and experts who, one after another, fearlessly pursued the traces of Gods’ Ruins, hoping to glimpse the truth of becoming a Celestial within it.
The most powerful ancient force in this universe today was none other than the Ascension Celestial Dynasty.
Empress Huang Yu was the first being to attain the Imperial Throne after the Era of the Great Annihilation, and even after the Dark Gap.
The significance she represented was extraordinary.
Many Cultivators believed that the reason she was able to bear the Mandate of Heaven and become a True Daoist in such a short time was greatly connected to the fortuitous encounter of stumbling into Gods’ Ruins back then.
If not for that event, even if Empress Huang Yu wanted to achieve the Dao, she would likely have needed to endure for nearly a million years.
With the changes in the environment of heaven and earth and the disappearance of life substances, the lifespan of those who achieved the Dao nowadays had naturally plummeted. Let alone a million years, even living for a hundred thousand years was extremely difficult.
That was why so many people pursued the whereabouts of Gods’ Ruins, hoping to find a method to become a Celestial and extend their lives.
Regarding Gods’ Ruins, there were naturally many theories. Some said it was a Forbidden Area that had existed since before the Dark Gap, even before the Forbidden Epoch.
Gods’ Ruins was said to connect to the legendary Celestial Domain, within which stood a heaven-piercing tree called the Tree of the Gods. By following the Tree of the Gods, one could find the location of the Celestial Gate.
Of course, others said that Gods’ Ruins was actually the ruins left behind in the mortal world after two beings who surpassed the Celestial Realm fought before the Forbidden Epoch and shattered the Immortal Palace.
Within Gods’ Ruins, countless celestial treasures and rare wonders were buried. Finding even one of them could allow a Cultivator to be reborn, remade from the bones up.
However, the most widespread and most convincing theory was the one that came from the Ascension Celestial Dynasty.
Within Gods’ Ruins, there was actually an incomparably mysterious white-robed Lord of Gods’ Ruins, and it was he who had established Gods’ Ruins.
Not only that, he had also planted a Peach Tree, which guarded something within Gods’ Ruins.
This theory spread throughout the entire universe, and countless Cultivators believed it.
After all, the founder of the Ascension Celestial Dynasty, Empress Huang Yu, had once stumbled into Gods’ Ruins and come out of it alive.
And then, in less than a million years, she attained the Imperial Throne, her cultivation speed far surpassing the Progenitors of that era.
Her understanding of Gods’ Ruins was definitely greater than everything the rest of the world knew combined.
“Excellent. Everything is evolving and developing exactly as I predicted.”
A satisfied look could not help but appear on Gu Changge’s face.
Following that, based on the aura of the Restriction he had left behind, he found Gods’ Ruins hidden on a certain ancient life star.
He had laid down many Array Patterns around it, and even after such a long passage of time, there was not the slightest trace of them being worn away.
“These are traces she left behind. It seems she came searching for this place again later, only she never stepped into Gods’ Ruins.”
Gu Changge’s figure appeared outside Gods’ Ruins. Beyond the many Restriction Array Patterns, he saw a Stone Engraving.
On this Stone Engraving, the aura of Empress Huang Yu had once been left behind.
After achieving the Dao, she had searched for the location of Gods’ Ruins once more.
But by that time, Gu Changge had long since departed, so she naturally could not find anything.
In the end, she could only leave in regret and sorrow, leaving the traces of her visit on this Stone Engraving.
“It seems that later, when her life was nearing its end, she came again. Why put herself through that?”
Gu Changge sighed softly, then saw a blurry figure manifest beside the stone tablet.
Dressed in feathered robes, her countenance breathtakingly beautiful, she gazed into the depths of Gods’ Ruins, though her eyes could not hide their sorrow.
This ancient life star was incomparably vast, with many clans and forces standing upon it.
The most powerful among them were several Imperial Clans and Holy Lands, whose ancestors had once produced True Daoists, with Nirvana Grade Artifacts suppressing their foundations.
Besides these Imperial Clans and Holy Lands, this ancient life star also had several Life Forbidden Areas—hiding places for True Daoists whose days were numbered, who had severed a portion of their own cultivation to prolong their lives and evade the Five Decays of the Celestial Being.
Their cultivation surpassed that of Quasi-Emperors, but compared to true True Daoists, they still fell considerably short.
Within the vast Gods’ Ruins, celestial mist curled and wound about, mountain peaks rose steep and sheer, and divine summits towered tall, desolate and ancient.
Now, as Gu Changge appeared within it, the Restrictions all around erupted with sky-piercing radiance, pressing down over the entire firmament, shaking the eight directions and making the entire universe rumble.
The next moment, a terrifying aura, as if heaven and earth were collapsing, spread out from this place.
Countless stars began to tremble, about to fall toward this location.
And the aura of ancient worlds began to interweave, pressing down until this entire universe shook.
Gu Changge’s gaze was profound as he began to act. He took the Tree of Epoch out from his Inner Universe and, with supreme magic power, planted it in the deepest part of Gods’ Ruins.
Countless Restrictions and radiance, blazing and dazzling like the sun, billions upon billions of bolts of lightning and laws, converged like an ocean.
It was a terrifying and horrifying ancient tree—its trunk alone was larger than a star. Upon its withered branches hung sparse leaves, each leaf bearing the starlight of the heavens, draped in boundless Chaos Energy.
And as the branches and leaves swayed gently, the terrifying sounds of ancient worlds colliding immediately rang out here, as if pushing one epoch after another into rumbling rotation.
Even a True Daoist standing here would have their blood and qi roiling, not daring to approach.
The Tree of Epoch had finally emerged into the world.
Rumble—
After countless ages, the Tree of Epoch appeared in this world once more.
The moment it appeared, it exuded a terrifying aura that shocked and horrified all. Before it, every star seemed as insignificant as dust.
It propped open the universe itself. Every one of its patterns was time itself, was an epoch that had once been.
Countless forces and Daoist traditions of the Beyond had sought the Tree of Epoch, even going so far as to launch the great war against the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains, which lasted for endless ages.
Until the last time, when they breached the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains and charged in from Sky Deer City—but in the end, they returned empty-handed, never finding any trace of the Tree of Epoch.
In the hearts of many ancient Daoist traditions, the existence of the Tree of Epoch was tantamount to the most fundamental Source of the Beyond.
Before the Forbidden Epoch, the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains had been a desolate land of the Beyond called the Exile Territory, used specifically to imprison and exile the most heinous criminals.
Later, heaven and earth underwent a great upheaval. The Beyond collapsed, the Great Dao faded away, and the rules of heaven and earth shattered.
The many experts of the Exile Territory struck out, heading to the Beyond to plunder resources, and among what was taken, the Tree of Epoch was stolen away.
This was done to nurture the Epoch Dao Fruit, and also to completely seize control of the Beyond.
Unfortunately, after the Tree of Epoch was taken, the already-shattered rules of heaven and earth of the Beyond could no longer function, causing the Celestial Path of later ages to collapse, and from then on, all living beings were cut off from hope.
Even if one toiled at the peak of the True Daoist realm for countless ages, one could never again step into the higher and more profound Celestial Realm.
Remnant Immortals sounded far more powerful than True Daoists, but that was only because they had touched that realm back before the Forbidden Epoch.
But as the environment of heaven and earth drastically changed and the Tree of Epoch was taken away, complete rules of heaven and earth could no longer be nurtured. This caused the cultivation of the many Remnant Immortals to halt from then on. They had originally had hope of leaping over the dragon’s gate, of transforming from mortal to Celestial.
Yet they could only watch helplessly as that gateway stood right before their eyes, forever beyond their reach.
Now, as the Tree of Epoch appeared in this world once more, a vast and majestic aura filled this universe. Every leaf seemed to bear the starlight of thousands of stars, interwoven with boundless Chaos Energy.
Stars hung low, a sight that shook the heart.
“This aura... could it be that some supreme object has emerged into the world?”
“Or is it that some being is about to achieve the Dao?”
Many experts of this universe sensed this vast and terrifying aura. Shocked beyond measure, they rushed out from their various ancient life stars one after another, arriving in the starry sky and gazing toward the location of Gods’ Ruins.
“It seems... to be the legendary Gods’ Ruins all along...”
The beings who had been hiding within the Life Forbidden Areas for years also turned their gazes over in an instant, like heavenly blades tearing through everything, sharp and dreadful.
Heaven and earth violently changed, the universe quaked in unison. In their eyes, such fluctuations were like those of a Quasi-Emperor about to achieve the Dao and become a True Daoist.
Since the last True Daoist passed away in meditation and fell, affecting the environment of heaven and earth, several hundred thousand years had passed without a True Daoist appearing.
Today, such terrifying fluctuations swept across countless star domains.
All the experts of the entire universe felt it in their hearts and rushed out.
Some figures sealed within Divine Source also awakened one after another, walking out from the depths of their clan grounds and Holy Lands.
Some forces that had produced True Daoists also immediately revived their Nirvana Grade Artifacts. Their overwhelmingly powerful auras pressed down upon the firmament, their radiance illuminating the entire star domain as they rose and fell there.
At the same time, countless living beings and Cultivators also felt their hearts tremble. Although they did not know what had happened, it did not hinder the fear in their hearts.
“Epoch Dao Fruit.”
Within Gods’ Ruins, Gu Changge paid no mind to the commotion caused in the outside world.
He looked at a fist-sized, magnificent fruit growing at the crown of the Tree of Epoch. Countless Dao rhythms and divine mysteries interwove and condensed within it, as if containing the most mysterious profundities and secrets of all the heavens.
A rich and miraculous aura spread out from this Epoch Dao Fruit, merging into this heaven and earth.
Gu Changge could even feel that the environment of heaven and earth around him was slowly improving, different from its previous incompleteness.
One could only say that it truly deserved to be the Epoch Dao Fruit. Nourished by the ages and epochs, the Dao rhythms and divine mysteries it had accumulated were precisely what was used to mend the gaps in the rules of heaven and earth.
Although this world was incomplete, it was also nurturing a divine object specifically to mend this gap. It could only be explained as something miraculous.
“When the Epoch Dao Fruit truly ripens, that will be the moment the Celestial Gate appears.”
Gu Changge’s brows furrowed slightly. He planned to contact Tao Yao to come here and guard the Tree of Epoch for him, while he himself would begin refining this universe.
The Palm Divine Kingdom and the Source of the Eternal Overcast he had obtained earlier were all for this day.
Back when he breached the Nether, Gu Changge had obtained the Palm Divine Kingdom from the hands of the Nether Lord’s offspring. The reason he had delayed refining it all this time was actually because he intended to one day refine the Palm Divine Kingdom into this entire universe.
By doing so, this entire universe would become his Divine Kingdom. Even if True Daoists or even Remnant Immortals stepped into it, they would be greatly suppressed.
Besides that, Gu Changge also planned to arrange the Source of the Eternal Overcast around the edges of this universe, ready to devour everything at any time, annihilating all life.
The Tree of Epoch would serve as the bait, and this universe would be the fishing net.
Gu Changge intended to move against all the Daoist traditions of the entire Beyond.
During this period, with the Epoch Dao Fruit in Gu Changge’s hands, it was equivalent to the Celestial Gate being under his control.
Without his consent, no one else could even dream of touching the Celestial Gate.
“A mere bunch of ants, and they dare to spy?”
But the next moment, Gu Changge’s gaze turned cold, and his merciless voice immediately transmitted outward, shaking the entire universe.
He sensed that outside Gods’ Ruins, a Quasi-Emperor was approaching, even bringing out a Dao Artifact, attempting to force his way into Gods’ Ruins.
Besides that, there were quite a number of Cultivators of other levels as well. Even the Cultivators of this ancient life star had rushed over.
After all, when the Tree of Epoch had appeared just now, even with the Restrictions around Gods’ Ruins concealing it, how could such a vast aura possibly be completely hidden?
A black giant hand suddenly slapped out from within Gods’ Ruins, wrapped in billions of crimson laws. The entire sky darkened in an instant, the stars trembled, and the universe seemed on the verge of collapsing and exploding.
“What kind of terrifying existence is this? How did we know nothing of it before?”
The Quasi-Emperor Cultivator charging toward Gods’ Ruins instantly turned pale with fright and horror. With no time to react, he directly brought out his Dao Artifact, attempting to withstand this palm.
But what horrified him to the extreme was that the moment they made contact, the Dao Artifact shattered with a crack, as fragile as paper. The sky full of divine weapon fragments, like brilliant meteors, smashed down toward the earth, scattering in all directions.
As for the man himself, he did not even have time to let out a scream before he exploded into a sky full of blood mist, his body and soul both annihilated.
“How is this possible?!”
“He slapped a Quasi-Emperor to death with one palm, and even shattered a Dao Artifact!”
The many experts and Cultivators who arrived afterward, witnessing this scene, felt a chill run from head to toe. Their faces were pale with fright as they trembled in place, unable to stop shaking.
The other Quasi-Emperors who had planned to come investigate were so frightened their souls nearly fled their bodies. The entire ancient life star fell silent, without the slightest movement.
The various Life Forbidden Areas were even more deathly still, without a single sound.
Over the following days, Gu Changge remained within Gods’ Ruins, laying down Restrictions within the Epoch Dao Fruit while simultaneously condensing the runes from the Origin Ancestor Artifact into it, ensuring that no one could refine and take away the Epoch Dao Fruit.
He still held a trace of wariness toward Tao Yao, which was why he laid down these backup measures.