A normal cosmic Hongyuan, like the new Lou Realm Hongyuan Xu Ying and Taiyi had witnessed, underwent the state of Taiyi, where the myriad Daos remained in a primordial, undifferentiated chaos. Only when the myriad Daos initially divided would the Hongyuan be opened, rapidly expanding and evolving into a universe.
In a normal universe, every single point in spacetime expands outward.
Yet the Hongyuan of the other shore was different. It was cleaved open by the Ancestral God and Xu Ying. Wherever the radiant edge of the axe blade passed, an impossibly narrow, slender line formed. Centered upon this line, the heavenly and earthly Great Daos came into being on either side.
This was almost identical to the sight they had witnessed in the First Sacred Ground of the other shore.
Suddenly, a lethal pressure bore down upon them—the backlash of the Chaos Sea. So colossal was this force that the Ancestral God's arms trembled violently, on the verge of giving way. The bones and sinews of the two popped with crisp snaps; their skin split open, and their vitality boiled and steamed. Xu Ying frantically drove the Nine Daos Recursive Verification, while the Ancestral God mobilized his own boundless Dao strength. Both pushed their cultivation to the absolute peak.
Yet the backlash of the Chaos Sea was simply too immense. If they sought to open a universe, then a universe's worth of chaotic qi would crush down upon them.
The Ancestral God possessed the strongest cultivation, and he was the primary force in opening the heavens. When the pressure struck, he was the first who could not bear it, coughing up a mouthful of Dao blood with a wet spurt.
"I am not weak either! Three Universes Returning to the Origin!" he bellowed furiously, activating his Dao technique. The heavenly and earthly Great Daos of three universes—the Three Realms, the other shore, and Tianjing—converged within his body into torrential currents, showing signs of evolving into Taiyi. As a cosmic primordial spirit, cultivating to achieve Taiyi was nearly impossible for him. Even Luo Taizong had been forced to sever his ancient god physique before he could cultivate the Great Dao of Taiyi.
However, after listening to the lectures in Tianjing's Cuiluo Heaven, the Ancestral God had gained inspiration and was attempting to forge his own path. Grounded in the Great Daos of the three universes, he sought to fathom the mysteries of Taiyi. This was a reverse verification. If he could truly verify Taiyi in reverse, it would set an unprecedented precedent among ancient gods.
As the Ancestral God activated Three Universes Returning to the Origin, the power of the Kaiyuan Divine Axe surged drastically, cleaving down against the crushing pressure of the Chaos Sea. At the same time, Xu Ying surged with the Nine Daos Recursive Verification; various Dao powers within his body circulated endlessly, nearly boundless.
"Great Dao Sutra Banner—activate!"
Xu Ying summoned forth the sutra banner. The banner's near-Dao-Master-level Dao strength surged forth, blessing their bodies. Opening their mouths, the two yelled with all their might, swinging the Kaiyuan Divine Axe to cleave open the Hongyuan of the other shore. Gorgeous axe radiance slashed straight into the Chaos Sea.
Within the Chaos Sea, an emerald rock multi-decked vessel drifted in absolute silence, carried along by the undercurrents of the sea. Aboard the vessel, Dao Master Luo wore a grim expression. It had already been a century since he arrived in the Chaos Sea, yet he still could not accept that they had returned to an era before the other shore had even been opened.
He had not gone to the Lou Realm. To him, the Lou Realm was completely meaningless—merely a universe destined for destruction. What he sought was the other shore. Yet throughout all these years of drifting, they had never found a single clue regarding the other shore.
The three Dao Masters—Zong Qi, Li Jian, and Sha Zhe—did not dare leave him, having no choice but to accompany him drifting through the Chaos Sea. Though the three Dao Masters said nothing aloud, complaints festered in their hearts: *Since we cannot return to the other shore, wouldn't it be better to remain in the past and rule as sovereigns over some other universe?*
However, Dao Master Luo was a Dao Master who ruled over countless mortal universes. The stakes and benefits were far too vast; how could he abandon them just like that? Right at that moment, Dao Master Luo's heart suddenly stirred. Shock and joy flooded him: "The other shore... I sense the other shore!" Hearing this, Zong Qi and the other two were likewise astonished and overjoyed.
Dao Master Luo hurriedly drove the emerald rock multi-decked vessel forward, laughing, "The other shore is born! I feel it!" Zong Qi and the other two were thrilled beyond measure.
Suddenly, magnificent Dao light erupted ahead. In an instant, countless stars came roaring toward their vessel. Myriad Great Daos were rapidly taking shape; diverse Dao resonances of heaven-opening and earth-cleaving boomed and reverberated. The Dao power permeating heaven and earth was as dense as thick porridge, a churning mixture evolving from primordial unity toward the myriad Daos.
Stars rushing toward them expanded rapidly from tiny specks of stardust into blazing suns, whistling past the hull. Dao Master Luo, Zong Qi, and the others steered the vessel, dodging star after star as they strained toward the place where the Dao light burst forth. In their sight, the purple qi at the source of the Dao light shone radiantly with flowing, iridescent splendor. Faintly visible were two standing figures, one large and one small, swinging a massive axe to open heaven and cleave earth.
"It's Xu Ying and the Ancestral God of the Three Realms!" Zong Qi, Li Jian, and Sha Zhe were shocked and incensed. Although the distance between them was vast, they could still make out the forms of Xu Ying and the Ancestral God.
Watching this, Dao Master Luo felt puzzled. *Why can we see them from so far away? Across such an immense distance, it should be impossible to see them.*
Consumed by intense jealousy, Zong Qi shouted, "Heaven-Opening Merits! They've obtained Heaven-Opening Merits!"
Li Jian and Sha Zhe were shaken to the core, their Dao hearts wavering as jealousy seized them.
Even Dao Master Luo felt rage rising within him. *Why can Heaven-Opening Merits not belong to me?* Opening heaven yielded peerless merits—the merit of opening a universe and receiving the worship of all living beings within it. It surpassed any deity, surpassed any contribution; even the merits of Immortal Ancestors, Dao Ancestors, or emperors could not rival it.
More crucially, possessing Heaven-Opening Merits brought the blessing of Hongmeng purple qi, allowing one to understand the Great Dao of Hongmeng without needing to comprehend it through grueling study. With complete Heaven-Opening Merits, one could even attain the Dao in Hongmeng, becoming a Hongmeng Dao Master in a single leap.
Dao Master Luo cultivated the Soul Dao. Although he had studied other Dao arts after becoming the Soul Dao Master, he had never been able to master a Great Dao on par with the Nine Innate Daos. In the death of Dao Master Hua, he had secretly fueled the flames. Knowing full well that Dao Master Hua was entering closed-door cultivation to resist the Chaos Oath, he offered no protection, instead sending the Dao Masters he had previously rescued to lay an ambush on Qionghua Island.
His objective had been nothing other than the Kaiyuan Divine Axe in Dao Master Hua's possession. Back when Hong Tiangang divined the origins of the divine axe, Luo had been present. Hong Tiangang remarked that the Kaiyuan Divine Axe lacked the great karmic cause of opening heaven and earth. The speaker had meant nothing by it, but the listener took it to heart. Dao Master Luo had etched those words into his mind. He refrained from saving Dao Master Hua, watching him perish under the Chaos Oath, all to obtain the Kaiyuan Divine Axe.
Their accidental journey into the past only proved that this was indeed the moment for the Kaiyuan Divine Axe to repay that great karmic cause of opening heaven and earth. If only he could obtain this treasure, he could bypass all arduous cultivation and insight, directly attaining the Dao in Hongmeng. Yet never had he expected to end up with nothing to show for his efforts.
Dao Master Luo suddenly leapt off the multi-decked vessel, accelerating and shooting straight toward the place where Xu Ying and the Ancestral God were opening heaven and earth.
"No matter what, I will seize the Kaiyuan Divine Axe today! Even if I did not open the heavens of the other shore nor cleave its earth, I will destroy the other shore, return it to Chaos, open heaven and earth anew, and evolve the myriad Daos once more!"
His face was ferocious, the refined, gentle Paraplegic Luo of the past completely gone. Malice raged in his heart: *Or I will kill the two of them, seize their Hongmeng merits, and become a Hongmeng Dao Master myself!*
Boundless stars rushed toward him, rivers of stars whistled past, and swirling galaxies flew beneath his feet. Dao Master Luo sprinted madly, his once-paralyzed legs more agile than ever before, running so fast it was as though all the roads he had failed to walk during a lifetime of paralysis were being traversed in this single moment.
"Catch them, kill them, and become the Hongmeng Dao Master!"
His speed grew faster and faster, flitting past like floating light and fleeting shadows. Immeasurable space flashed by in an instant. Yet in his field of view, Xu Ying and the Ancestral God remained just as far away. The distance between them did not seem to close at all despite his furious sprint. This phenomenon was also noticed by Zong Qi and the other two aboard the multi-decked vessel. As they drove the ship in hot pursuit from behind, their distance from Dao Master Luo grew ever wider, yet their distance from Xu Ying and the Ancestral God seemed never to change.
*They are opening heaven and earth. When heaven and earth are opened, immeasurable spacetime erupts, pulling the distance apart.* They considered this explanation, yet it still failed to explain why their distance from Xu Ying and the Ancestral God remained completely unchanged.
Ahead, Dao Master Luo noticed this as well. Even though he was a Master of the Great Dao, sovereign of the Soul Dao across countless universes, he too could not comprehend this phenomenon. Around them, the Great Daos hummed, and spacetime jolted violently without pause. The mortal continents of the other shore were rapidly taking shape and expanding, speeding away beneath Dao Master Luo's feet.
The three turned their heads toward the receding continent of the other shore, only to see ancient gods rising across its lands. Faintly, they even caught sight of the towering figure of Luo Taizong.
"This..."
The three were filled with shock and doubt. They wanted to call out to Dao Master Luo, but spacetime was expanding far too quickly; their divine consciousness could not catch up to him at all. Dao Master Luo sprinted with all his might, blind to every change around him. In his eyes existed only the Ancestral God and Xu Ying, who held high the Kaiyuan Divine Axe, cleaving earth and opening heaven.
At this moment, the two were absorbing and refining the power of the Hongmeng purple qi, stoking the fires of jealousy within him. "Stealing my fortune! I'll see to it that you die without a burial place!"
Behind him, the emerald rock vessel pursued relentlessly. Yet the three aboard were no longer watching him. Instead, they stared blankly behind them. In their vision, ancient gods were being born in the starry sky, growing in strength, and receding into the distance as the Era of Ancient Gods reached its zenith.
"This isn't right... this isn't right..." Zong Qi muttered.
"This is wrong, this is wrong..." Dao Master Li Jian was pale and shaken.
"What's expanding isn't just the space of the universe. What's expanding is time itself!" Sha Zhe said hoarsely. "We are hurtling through time!"
Ahead, Dao Master Luo channeled his vast and boundless Dao power, traversing spacetime. Gradually, he realized that the distance between himself and Xu Ying and the Ancestral God was slowly shrinking. A smile crept onto his face. "What belongs to me will ultimately be mine!"
Behind him, the expressions of Zong Qi, Li Jian, and Sha Zhe grew weirder, more terrified, and ever more disbelieving. For they saw an immense universe slowly burst through the Chaos Sea, appearing at the border of the other shore—Tianjing was running aground! The sheer grandeur of this scene left them dizzy with awe, yet all the more terrified. It was a sight that even Dao Masters like them could not comprehend: the starry sky of Tianjing was abruptly captured by the other shore.
The starry sky changed masters. Shortly afterward, the smile on Dao Master Luo's face grew broader and broader. He was drawing closer and closer to Xu Ying and the Ancestral God, finally about to claim the Kaiyuan Divine Axe. He sprinted with all his strength, then abruptly leapt into the air, hurtling straight toward Xu Ying and the Ancestral God.
He bellowed, "Leave my Kaiyuan Divine Axe behind!"
He thrust out a hand, covering the space where Xu Ying and the Ancestral God stood. This grasp would surely seize them both within his palm; no matter how vast their supernatural powers, they would not be able to escape.
Yet right at that instant, immeasurable Dao light erupted from beside Xu Ying and the Ancestral God, drowning Dao Master Luo in blinding brilliance. When the light cleared, Dao Master Luo's palm clutched hundreds of millions of li of starry sky ahead. Yet bizarrely, beneath his palm was neither the First Sacred Ground nor Xu Ying and the Ancestral God. Before him stood the entrance to the First Sacred Ground—that impossibly thin line. And he saw another him, along with another Zong Qi, Li Jian, and Sha Zhe, currently walking into that impossibly thin line and entering the First Sacred Ground!
Pale and distraught, Dao Master Luo remained frozen in the posture of clutching outward with one hand. A voice repeated over and over in his mind: *This is impossible. This is absolutely impossible...*
He looked around. The starry sky was silent. The rushing stars from moments ago seemed like nothing more than a dream, as though their century of searching through the Chaos Sea had also been a dream.
Only after a moment did Dao Master Luo come to his senses. With a trace of terror, he looked at that impossibly thin line. Suspended between the cosmos of the other shore, the line was so fine it was imperceptible to the naked eye. "Right now, another me is walking into that fine line..."
Cold sweat covered Dao Master Luo's forehead. On either side of the fine line lay the starry sky of the other shore, and one could even see the mortal continents of the other shore. Looking back, one would surely see Tianjing standing vertically at the end of the line. The beads of sweat on his forehead grew larger and larger as an indescribable terror surged into his heart.
Just then, the three Dao Masters including Zong Qi arrived aboard the emerald rock multi-decked vessel, calling out from afar: "Brother Dao Luo! Brother Dao Luo! Xu Ying and the Ancestral God opened heaven and earth, causing spacetime to expand! Not only was space expanding, but time was expanding as well! It was sending us into the future!"
"No... rather, it sent us back to the present!"
***
Ever since leaving Tianjing, the Dao Venerable had been drifting and wandering through the Chaos Sea. During this period, he had experienced too much. He had seen newborn universes and dying universes; he had witnessed people's tribulations and struggles beneath the Nirvanic Extinction Tribulation, as well as the unrealistic delusions and efforts of cultivators. He had met many extraordinary people and encountered many bizarre occurrences. Though his experiences were rich, he had never been able to find the answer.
"Perhaps there is no answer to the Nirvanic Extinction Tribulation."
Exhausted in both body and mind, he began his return journey. Less than ten million years remained for Tianjing. He wanted to return to Tianjing and live or die alongside it. While this journey had broadened his horizons, it had also plunged him into utter despair. On his way back, when he was nearly at Tianjing, his gaze was suddenly caught by a new universe.
"When I left, this universe did not exist. Could it have been born after my departure?"
He observed this universe, only to see brutal ancient gods playing their game of farmsteads—lowly, degenerate, and devoid of ambition. His heart stirred, and a terrifying idea suddenly emerged in his mind: *Perhaps... it could be done like this...*
Eight million years later, Tianjing ran aground upon the other shore.
Chapter 869