Unable to Comprehend, Unable to Understand, the Hidden Experts Strike
Unable to Comprehend, Unable to Understand, the Hidden Experts Strike
The Heavenly Dao Will of the Resplendence Universe was, at this very moment, completely replaced by Gu Changge’s will.
With a single thought, his divine sense enveloped the entire universe—every inch of space, every stretch of void, all lay within his gaze.
From now on, he was the true master of this universe. Anyone who stepped into it, no matter what kind of cultivator or living being they were, would be suppressed by his will.
It was just like back then, when the various Dao Lineage forces went to annihilate the Nether, and finally stepped into that ancient world.
At that time, that ancient world had fused with the Palm of True World, completely replacing the World’s Will.
That was why the Dao Lineage forces that charged in paid a devastating price, with virtually no one escaping unscathed.
“My Inner Universe has established a connection with the Resplendence Universe, but this isn’t enough. I still need to completely merge the Palm of True World with this universe.”
Gu Changge sat cross-legged beneath the Tree of Epoch. Epoch Source flowed and spread, permeating into the Inner Universe unfurling behind him.
Brilliant clusters of light, dazzling as glorious suns, surged out from within, then rushed toward the Resplendence Universe.
It was like a rain of light, showering down in all directions.
This was the Source of the Palm Divine Kingdom. Gu Changge intended to fuse it completely into the Resplendence Universe, allowing this universe to complete its final transformation.
Terrifying fluctuations spread out at the desolate edges of the universe, as if splitting open heaven and earth within the chaos—shattering everything, then fusing everything back together.
The Inner Universe unfolded, its boundless, limitless space seeming capable of banishing cultivators and living beings into an endless void of drifting sands.
This was an unimaginable, great terror.
Only after a long time did Gu Changge withdraw his Inner Universe. Everywhere his gaze reached, the many changes within had already begun evolving according to his thoughts.
From the evolution of these microscopic worlds, Gu Changge actually caught a glimpse of the path by which the Celestial Domain had evolved.
Could it be that the true Celestial Domain—or even All of Heaven and Its Thousand Worlds—had all evolved in this very manner?
At this thought, a sudden chill of dread crept over him. Then he shook his head, banishing the notion.
No matter what, his current battle prowess had already reached the peak of the present era. Looking across the ages, absolutely no one at the same realm could match him. This was beyond all doubt.
Since that was the case, it was time for the aura of the Epoch Dao Fruit to fully bloom.
Gu Changge rose to his feet. With a flicker, he stood atop the Tree of Epoch, and a terrifying worldly aura came crashing down like mountains and rivers overturning, accompanied by world-shaking sounds. It was as if ancient great worlds, one after another, were being pushed into motion here.
He reached out and touched that incomparably gorgeous cluster of light, as if grasping the very Source of All of Heaven and Its Thousand Worlds.
That heavy, profound aura, brilliant as the stars, then erupted with hundreds of millions of zhang of radiance, forming swords of light that shot straight into the heavens.
In an instant, it pierced out from the Land of the Gods, then radiated and spread toward the entire Resplendence Universe, striking out toward All of Heaven and Its Thousand Worlds.
Countless universes were affected by this aura at that very moment. All the rules and order between heaven and earth surged and heaved like a raging sea, beating against the firmament.
The aura of new life was like a bonfire lit within the darkness. The Hidden Experts rushing from the Beyond toward the Resplendence Universe all changed expression drastically, then revealed looks of wild, ecstatic excitement.
“This... this is absolutely the fluctuation of the Epoch Dao Fruit ripening!”
“The Opportunity to Become an Immortal is right before our eyes!”
They went mad, even casting aside all consequences, directly bringing out Forbidden Weapons to blast open the ruined universes blocking their path—all just to travel a little faster.
To them, this aura was more alluring than any poison, because they could all feel it: the rules of heaven and earth were being made whole by this aura, their deficiencies being mended.
Hong long long—
Heaven collapsed and earth split. The vast, endless armies all went mad, charging toward the Resplendence Universe. Any cultivator or living being who witnessed this scene would feel their scalp go numb with horror.
Even the Hidden Experts standing at the very peak of the current era now seemed to have gone berserk, their eyes reddened and burning with fervor. It was too inconceivable—but this was reality.
Within the Beyond, many Hidden Experts who had not yet awakened now also shot into the sky, startled into action by these fluctuations.
This was far more convincing than any rumor. The Age of Immortal Ascension had truly arrived. It was no longer just Immortal Dao rules manifesting from some distant land—it had already spread into the territory of the Beyond itself.
Between heaven and earth, lightning radiance swirled, golden lotuses bloomed, and all manner of immortal qi and Dao rhythms interwove, shrouding the skies above every universe.
Phenomena appeared everywhere in the world. There were even Great Dao scriptures manifesting on their own, as if immortals from ancient times were expounding the essentials to all living beings, elucidating the ultimate truths of heaven and earth.
The Beyond, already frenzied over the Age of Immortal Ascension, now descended into even greater madness and chaos. Some Hidden Experts who had remained perfectly calm, who had not gone to the Resplendence Universe to seek the Immortal Dao opportunity, now even began to regret it.
Atop Devil Mountain, demonic qi surged to the heavens, clouds and mist roiled—an utterly eerie sight, as if it had existed since the very creation of the world, exuding a heart-palpitating pressure.
Hongyi stood at the mountain’s peak, her red dress like blood, making her skin appear all the more snow-white and delicate. Within her gaze there was some complexity, and some madness. In the end, these emotions intertwined continuously, then gradually settled into calm, waveless stillness.
“The sky is about to change.”
“This scene—how similar it is to back then. Except back then, those who fell were Immortals... were Immortal Kings.”
She murmured softly, a trace of mockery at the corner of her lips.
Her bare feet, whiter than snow—a monstrous river of blood emerged beneath them, stretching all the way through to the distant True Immortal Academy.
She had always known that an old acquaintance resided here, but she had never come to visit.
Within the True Immortal Academy, radiance shot into the heavens and terrifying auras permeated the air. Many ancient figures were shaken by Chan Hongyi’s arrival, then became incomparably vigilant and horrified.
A demon like her, with killing intent that reached the heavens, had even dared to deliver a complete, flawless Immortal’s Corpse on the day of Gu Changge’s grand wedding. This showed how terrifying her strength was—even Hidden Experts were absolutely no match for her.
In the current Beyond, the demoness in red was, without question, the ceiling of combat power.
Unless those legendary existences jumped out—figures like the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being.
If she were to wreak havoc upon the True Immortal Academy, this place would surely be destroyed. No one could stop her.
“Won’t you come out and see me?”
Hongyi spoke indifferently, her figure standing above the True Immortal Academy, sweeping her gaze over the radiance-wreathed, immortal qi-entwined rear mountain below.
Cough, cough, cough—
“Is that how an old friend says hello? What a pity, this old body of mine is no longer up to it. It can’t withstand such torment.”
Just then, a fit of coughing sounded.
Then, before the shocked eyes of everyone in the True Immortal Academy, a hunched old man in black appeared. He trembled with every step, looking as though a gust of wind might blow him away.
Yet not a single person present dared to slight or overlook his existence.
Many ancient existences revealed reverence in their eyes upon seeing him.
For this was the most ancient being of the True Immortal Academy.
A true living fossil.
His seniority surpassed all imagination; he had lived for countless years. Even the current Empress Xi Yao of the Demon World was his disciple.
But judging from today’s scene, Elder Shi was actually an old acquaintance of the demoness in red, Chan Hongyi.
This left them incomparably astonished and shaken.
If that were so, then didn’t that mean Elder Shi and Gu Changge knew each other?
By now, the entire Beyond knew that Gu Changge was the reincarnation of an Absolute Being from the Forbidden Epoch. Chan Hongyi was even his disciple. If that were the case, then didn’t Elder Shi before them also share deep ties with Gu Changge?
Back when Gu Changge first entered the True Immortal Academy, it seemed he had indeed gone to seek out Elder Shi.
And it had been through the connection of the Skyward Schloss’s Great Elder, no less.
Thinking about it now, all these things seemed to fall into place. None of them were surprised anymore.
“So it was you who took that blow for Tao Yao back then.”
Looking at Elder Shi’s current state, Chan Hongyi suddenly understood. She lightly raised her brows, and her expression returned to normal.
Elder Shi smiled bitterly. “But that one palm strike has truly plagued this old man. Even now, I still can’t expel it. Thankfully, my true body is merely a rock—otherwise, I would never have lasted this long.”
“Given his strength back then, if he had wanted to kill you, how could you possibly have withstood that palm?”
Chan Hongyi furrowed her brows, sensing something strange about the matter.
All these years, her heart had been filled with hatred, her eyes brimming with nothing but vengeance and killing intent—and so she had overlooked many things.
Based on her understanding of her Shizun, the Lord, if he had truly harbored killing intent, he would never have let Lao Shi and Tao Yao off so easily. His strength had long since reached a level no one could fathom.
Even a single casual palm strike could easily shatter three thousand provinces; even the mightiest Immortal King would perish with regret.
Lao Shi’s cultivation was still far from the Immortal King realm, yet he had taken a palm head-on without dying, and had even saved Tao Yao in the process. Though Tao Yao’s cultivation was stronger than Lao Shi’s...
The only possibility was that Shizun, the Lord, had held back.
“Indeed. And not just killing me—wouldn’t killing you have been the same? Why would he need to strike you down into the Demon-Burying Abyss? A being like the Master—how could he possibly reincarnate?”
“I can’t figure it out. I can’t understand it. There are too many things that can only be answered by asking the Master himself.”
Lao Shi shook his head. Over all these years, many matters concerning that epoch had actually been gradually blurring and fading from his mind. Even he could not maintain clarity.
In his view, this was the influence of the Forbidden Epoch—as if heaven and earth themselves willed it so. That it had been reduced to the two words “Forbidden” was not without reason.
“Is that so?” Chan Hongyi fell silent. But her hatred for her Shizun, the Lord, was far from as simple as him striking her down into the Abyss.
“Have you never thought of demanding an answer?” she asked again, her gaze pressing upon Lao Shi, sharp as swords and blades.
“This old man can no longer leave this place. If I forcibly depart, it will invite backlash—I’d likely be blasted to ash by a single bolt of heavenly lightning. The aura I was tainted with back in that epoch still lingers. Even I am taboo, let alone able to leave this place to help you. You must look after yourself.”
Hearing this, Lao Shi merely shook his head and sighed, indicating that in his current state, even if he wanted to leave, there was not the slightest way to do so.
“I can tell he’s setting up a world-shaking scheme right now. I originally intended to witness it with my own eyes—and, while I was at it, make his efforts fall short at the final step. But after what you’ve said, I’ve suddenly lost interest.”
Hongyi spoke coldly, then said no more. Her figure departed directly from the skies above the True Immortal Academy.
Before leaving, however, she glanced toward the distant Land of Abandoned Celestials, but did not sense Tao Yao’s aura.
“Elder Shi, this is...”
Hearing this baffling, headless-and-tailless conversation between Elder Shi and Chan Hongyi, the crowd of ancient existences present were all deeply shaken, completely unable to comprehend what it meant.
But they could tell that this absolutely involved secrets of the Forbidden Epoch. It required the utmost caution—careful words, careful conduct.
“For the time being, none of you are to leave the True Immortal Academy. Stay here obediently.”
“A great upheaval is likely coming again...” Elder Shi sighed, offering them no explanation, and turned back toward the rear mountain.
Even if there was a world-shaking scheme, so what? How was it something he could interfere with?
“Today, I shall see for myself just what is so strange about this universe—that it could cause the entire vanguard of my clan to perish!”
Outside the Resplendence Universe, a vast and mighty army drew near. The Hidden Expert at its head, his gaze burning hot, sensed the dense fluctuations of the Epoch Dao Fruit within.
He snorted coldly and struck without hesitation, attacking from beyond the universe itself. The Dao weapon he had refined over countless years was a divine tower forged of Eternal Blue Gold.
Terrifying, sky-flooding fluctuations swept through the many surrounding universes. Countless great stars collapsed into dust in an instant.
The cultivators and living beings who had long since been sent out by Empress Huang Yu, even separated by endless distance, felt these world-annihilating fluctuations and were utterly horrified.
This was their first time witnessing what a Hidden Expert truly was. Even a True Daoist, beneath such an aura, was but a firefly compared to the bright moon.
As for Quasi-Emperor existences, their very souls nearly flew out of their bodies in fright. Before this, they had still harbored lucky hopes, thinking the Resplendence Universe could withstand and endure the fluctuations of such a battle.
But now, feeling it firsthand, every one of them felt their scalps go numb, unable to believe it.
“Perfect. First, let me weigh and measure whether that master within the Gods’ Ruins is worth our intervention.”
Another Hidden Expert’s gaze turned slightly cold. His great hand reached out, seizing a Quasi-Emperor existence from another universe, and directly, unscrupulously searched his memories, probing clear the many details within the Resplendence Universe.
Afterward, that Quasi-Emperor didn’t even have time to scream before exploding into a sky-filling mist of blood and bone powder, body and soul both annihilated.
The tower radiated a piercing blue light, eternal and indestructible, dazzling and resplendent, as if it were burning. It smashed down toward the Resplendence Universe.
Clearly, the Hidden Expert from moments ago also intended to gauge just how strong the Lord of Gods’ Ruins truly was—he was not as reckless as he appeared on the surface.
Beyond everyone’s imagination, the Lord of Gods’ Ruins within the Resplendence Universe paid it no mind at all. Instead, only a single palm slapped out from within, its sound crisp and clear.
Then came an explosive shattering sound. The divine tower forged of Eternal Blue Gold collapsed, transforming into a great shower of blue light that rushed beyond the realm, shaking countless stars into dust, vanishing into the depths of the universe.