The footsteps of the Yaochi Sovereign came to a halt at the edge of the platform, as though nailed there by invisible shackles. She dared not take another step forward.
It was not the fearsome aura or deathly qi emanating from the corpse of the Jiuyou Ao that made her hesitate. With the Western Emperor Pagoda guarding her, she was still capable of resisting them.
What she feared was that incomprehensible tranquility—the entirely unknown level represented by that figure.
Even beneath the moonlight shed by an ultimate imperial weapon, a chill unlike any she had ever experienced still crept silently up her spine.
It was the most primitive warning instinct of a living being confronted by an existence it could neither understand nor resist.
Who exactly was he?!
Ji Qingyi had presided over the Yaochi Sacred Land for many years, looking down upon the upheavals of the Eastern Domain. She prided herself on having witnessed countless prodigies, monsters, and ancient existences, and her Dao heart had long since been tempered to the strength of solid rock.
Yet at this moment, before this bizarre sight, it seemed so fragile. It shattered inch by inch like a sheet of ice.
There was always someone beyond the greatest, and something beyond the heavens.
She had heard that ancient maxim countless times, but never before had she experienced its truth so vividly—or so terrifyingly.
At the center of the platform, the figure seemed to have finally finished appreciating the ancient tale conveyed by the corpse of the Jiuyou Ao. Slowly, he raised his head.
His gaze drifted over calmly. Yet the instant it fell upon her, Ji Qingyi’s body abruptly stiffened!
An indescribable sensation swept through her entire being.
Under that gaze, she felt as though she had been seen through completely.
It was as if every secret she possessed, all her cultivation, and even the shock and suspicions surging within her at that moment were laid bare before those clear eyes.
“This woman’s perception is indeed keen. She actually managed to find this place by following a trace of Lunar qi.”
In an instant, Ji Qingyi’s information was reflected deep within Gu Changge’s pupils:
Name: Ji Qingyi
Cultivation: Peak Saint King Realm
Aptitude: Supreme Saint-grade aptitude
Physique: Lunar Divine Physique
Identity: Current Yaochi Sovereign
Cultivation Arts: *Lunar Ancient Scripture*, *Western Emperor Scripture*, and others…
“Yaochi Sovereign?”
A gentle voice, carrying just the right hint of surprise, rang out, as though he had only just noticed her arrival.
He knows me!
Ji Qingyi’s heart trembled once more.
She forcibly suppressed the turmoil within her and gave a slight nod in acknowledgment. Her usually clear voice sounded somewhat tense at this moment.
“Who might you be?”
She neither admitted nor denied her identity, instead responding with a question.
It was the only reply she could make at that moment—one laden with wariness and probing intent.
She needed to know what attitude this unfathomably mysterious figure held toward her.
Gu Changge did not seem surprised by her direct question. He merely smiled faintly.
“Just a wandering recluse from the mountains. My name is hardly worth mentioning.”
He brushed aside the matter of his identity with effortless casualness, then naturally shifted his gaze toward the Lunar Source Crystal that was currently struggling against the deathly qi.
“Did the Sovereign come for it?”
Following his indication, Ji Qingyi’s eyes once again fell upon the source crystal, which held a fatal allure for her divine physique. Her thoughts became extraordinarily complicated.
Before her stood the ominous corpse of an unparalleled ferocious beast; beside her was a mysterious powerhouse whose depths could not be measured. At this moment, this opportunity seemed unbearably hot to the touch.
“This object truly aligns with the path I cultivate. Drawn here by its resonance, I came to this place.”
She answered cautiously, her gaze returning to Gu Changge. “May I ask what brings you here, sir?”
Ji Qingyi’s breathing paused for the briefest moment—so slight it was almost imperceptible.
“Nothing much. I was bored, so I came out for a walk.”
Gu Changge replied casually. Once he had spoken, he paid no further attention to Ji Qingyi’s reaction and turned his gaze toward the deeper darkness ahead.
A… a walk?
Ji Qingyi’s cool eyes wavered violently.
Taking a walk in the very heart of this forbidden land, where the power of a Great Emperor still lingered and even Saints had to rely on an Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon for protection?
The statement was so absurd that, for a moment, she did not even know how to respond.
Her gaze involuntarily fell once more upon the dark-blue Taiyin Origin Crystal.
That was the object she had come for—the hope that would allow her cultivation to advance another step.
Yet at this moment, this supreme treasure was quietly embedded in the wound of the ferocious beast’s skull, under the “guard” of a mysterious man whose depths she could not fathom. She found herself caught between advancing and retreating.
Gu Changge seemed to notice her gaze and casually glanced at the Taiyin Origin Crystal.
Its quality was fairly decent.
To someone who cultivated Taiyin power, it was indeed a fine treasure capable of laying a solid foundation.
But in Gu Changge’s eyes, it was nothing more than an ordinary object.
Within his system’s storage space, this Taiyin Origin Crystal—an item sufficient to provoke a bloody battle between holy lands—could only be considered commonplace.
Seeing that Ji Qingyi remained frozen there, unwilling to approach yet unable to bear leaving, Gu Changge’s gaze lingered on the crystal for another moment.
The corner of his lips curved slightly, as though he had noticed something amusing, but he did not point it out.
In an indifferent tone, he said casually, “Go ahead. I’ll take a look farther in. It’s just that… Forget it. It’s nothing.”
After saying this, Gu Changge no longer spared either Ji Qingyi or the Taiyin Origin Crystal another glance. He turned and walked toward the region of darkness radiating even older and more terrifying fluctuations.
His figure soon vanished into the dense chaotic mist. The surrounding disorderly laws and horrifying deathly aura seemed to possess minds of their own, silently parting to open a path for him.
“Go ahead?”
Only Ji Qingyi remained on the platform.
The Western Emperor Pagoda hovered above her head, its radiance flowing. For the first time, an almost bewildered expression appeared on her cool and beautiful face.
He had simply left?
Faced with this supreme divine object—something capable of drawing fatal desire from every cultivator—he had given it up so easily?
As if it were truly nothing more than a slightly attractive stone?
And what had he meant by those final words, spoken as though he had wanted to say something but stopped himself?
Ji Qingyi’s thoughts raced, and countless possibilities flashed through her mind in an instant.
Was it a reminder? A warning? Or was the object so insignificant to him that he could not even be bothered to say another word?
“Enough! In the struggle for the Great Dao, how can I retreat merely because of one unfathomable remark? Even if there is danger, it is still an opportunity along my path. I alone shall bear the consequences!”
Ji Qingyi’s thoughts raced, and countless possibilities flashed through her mind.
In the end, she made her decision.
This object resonated with her path and was a heaven-sent opportunity. She had to obtain it!
Steeling her mind, she spread out her divine sense like a tide and carefully sensed everything ahead.
Though the Jiuyou Ao was long dead, its fearsome might still remained. Its overwhelming deathly aura had become almost tangible, rejecting the approach of all life.
And that Taiyin Origin Crystal was embedded in the wound in its skull, its ghostly light flowing endlessly. It was the sole source of vitality within this domain of death.
“I must use the power of the Western Emperor Pagoda to forcibly suppress the corpse’s remaining baleful aura. Only then can I safely retrieve the treasure.”
Having made up her mind, Ji Qingyi no longer hesitated.
She formed a hand seal, circulating both the <i>Ancient Taiyin Scripture</i> and the <i>Western Emperor Scripture</i> to their utmost limits!
The Western Emperor Pagoda above her head let out a soft chime, as though awakening from slumber. The moonlight cascading from it suddenly became incomparably brighter and denser!
“Suppress!”
With a sharp cry, she activated the Supreme Imperial Weapon!
The pagoda trembled, erupting with vast and mighty imperial power. It transformed into a dazzling pillar of pale moonlight, like the seal of a Heavenly Emperor, and crashed down upon the enormous corpse of the Jiuyou Ao!
“Roar—!!!”
The corpse seemed to have been provoked. Its remaining baleful will stirred the deathly aura filling the heavens, transforming it into a sinister black demonic dragon that charged toward the pillar of moonlight with a furious roar!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The two terrifying forces collided head-on!
The entire platform shook violently, while the void collapsed in vast stretches!
Had this place not been reinforced by the lingering power of a Great Emperor, the impact would likely have sent tremors throughout the entire Imperial Tomb.
Even protected by the Western Emperor Pagoda, Ji Qingyi was forced half a step backward by the backlash, her blood and qi churning violently.
But how could the might of a Supreme Imperial Weapon be resisted by a corpse that had been dead for countless years?
After several breaths of stalemate, the pillar of pale moonlight ground the deathly demonic dragon to pieces inch by inch before finally crashing down upon the corpse of the Jiuyou Ao!
“Om…”
The corpse’s baleful aura was completely suppressed, leaving it unable to move.
Now!
A glint flashed through Ji Qingyi’s beautiful eyes. Her figure transformed into a streak of light and shot straight toward the Taiyin Origin Crystal!
She extended her jade-like hand, enveloping her palm in Taiyin divine power as she reached for the crystal.
That’s it for today’s chapter. I’ve been sitting in front of the computer for four hours just to finish this chapter, and I’m still not entirely satisfied with it.
I’ll write the second chapter tomorrow morning. I really can’t hold on any longer. Sorry, brothers, for keeping you waiting so long!
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
lan, the Luo family, tracked him down - along with the babies in their arms. Mo Xuan stared pensively at the paternity test results from over a dozen top institutions, both domestic and international, showing a 99.99% match between himself and the two baby girls. At 23, Mo Xuan, a doctoral student, had become the father of two three-year-old children. The kicker? The mothers weren't even the same person! He gradually realized he was being lured step by step into an elaborate trap designed by these two yandere sisters. "Be good, little Xuan. Sister's life belongs to you entirely." "Brother, if you try to run away, I'll have no choice but to tie you up." Mo Xuan: "Do whatever you want, ladies. I give up."
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
