Countless streams of information surged.
Within his mind, sword intent swept unhindered, slaying the myriad daos—or perhaps... consigning the myriad daos to oblivion.
Treading across the Black Sea, Qi Yuan arrived at the Origin Land.
At this moment, a vast, dark mass gathered along the shores of the Black Sea.
Nearly ten thousand Martial Lords stood in formation, as though they had long known Qi Yuan was coming.
"Greetings, Heavenly Venerable!"
These Martial Lords bowed in salute, their expressions utterly respectful.
Seeing this, Qi Yuan's expression remained placid. "What, have you all finally seen the light?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Qi Yuan began pondering how best these people ought to be split open.
To bloom like flowers? The only blossoms they could bear were flowers of blood.
"Heavenly Venerable, everything before was a misunderstanding," Martial Lord Heilu said, stepping forward with a deferential look. "Presently, Dongjun awaits you in the Land of Tribulation.
"Dongjun says he will explain away all misunderstandings for you!"
Hearing this, Qi Yuan's expression did not change in the slightest.
His countenance was either placid or bearing a faint smirk at the corner of his lips, making it impossible to read his thoughts.
"That fellow is finally willing to meet me, eh?"
Qi Yuan stretched leisurely.
"Since he is willing to see me, then I shall go have a meeting with him."
The realm of the Myriad Dao Martial God was equivalent to the Yang God realm.
However, this Myriad Dao Martial God differed somewhat from an ordinary Yang God.
Upon traveling to another world—or even across the universe—a Yang God would suffer a drop in cultivation.
A Myriad Dao Martial God, however, seemed free from this restriction.
To be frank, after breaking through to the Myriad Dao Martial God realm, Qi Yuan's strength had grown considerably.
At that moment, Old Geezer Shenlei appeared. "This old man will accompany you."
The other Divine Infants chimed in one after another, "We shall go together."
They were also exceptionally wary of Dongjun.
They could not rest easy letting Qi Yuan venture into danger alone.
Qi Yuan glanced around the Origin Land, his tone calm. "Perhaps because Dawn's Toll is about to begin, this Origin Land seems unable to bear Yang Gods any longer. If you remain here... you will eventually be forced to leave.
"Since destiny decrees that you must depart... well, though I don't care much for destiny, today we'll play by destiny's words. You all shall accompany me to meet Dongjun."
In an instant, countless phantoms manifested behind Qi Yuan.
"We obey your revered command!"
Every single phantom was unfathomably exalted, mysterious, and mighty.
Like Fiendgods of Chaos, they stood arrayed behind Qi Yuan. Even though they exercised tremendous restraint to rein in their auras, they remained something one dared not look upon directly.
A deep urge to kneel and prostrate themselves welled up within the Martial Lords.
Some of the figures even gave them an impression far more imposing and terrifying than Dongjun himself.
At this moment, seeds of worry sprouted within those who had once been unwavering.
Soon, however, their gazes hardened once more with conviction.
Dongjun was the supreme truth of this realm.
Numbers... were useless.
"Farewell, everyone. Hopefully we will have a chance to meet again."
Qi Yuan's figure vanished without a trace.
Those terrifying, Fiendgod-like phantoms vanished along with him at that very instant.
Martial Lord Heilu gritted his teeth, cold sweat beading on his forehead. Only when those silhouettes vanished did he let out a long breath of relief.
The other Martial Lords present did the same.
The pressure Qi Yuan and those terrifying silhouettes exerted on them was simply overwhelming.
Above all, those dreadful figures were vastly more numerous than they had ever anticipated.
They had originally assumed there were only a handful.
In the end, what in the world... there were thousands of them?!
"Dongjun should be able to handle them, right?" a female Martial Lord asked apprehensively.
Just now, the pressure those Heavenly Venerables brought upon them was simply suffocating.
"What do you mean, 'handle'? Dongjun will lay the facts bare for them, and they will trust Dongjun just as we do!"
"Indeed. With so many mighty experts providing support, Dongjun will surely resolve the catastrophe and successfully save the world."
"We cannot simply sit around awaiting death either. We must act on Dongjun's entrustment and revive his Dao companion!"
"Right!"
"The convergence of worlds is now unstoppable, and we too shall descend upon the Land of the End.
"We must choose a protagonist and have her slay every Daughter of Destiny, merging all their memories, and then assimilating... She shall be Dongjun's Dao companion!
"If she is revived and proceeds to the Land of Tribulation, all will be well.
"We too shall welcome true rebirth!"
"Haha, now that they are gone, no one can stand in our way!"
Several Titled Martial Lords grew wildly excited, their expressions contorting.
After all, they had rebooted across several epochs, facing defeat after defeat.
Now that they finally saw the dawn of success, how could they not be ecstatic?
Just then, an opposing voice suddenly rang out. "Senior predecessors, if the Mountains and Seas Picture Scrolls converge, will everyone slaughter one another, leaving behind only the single truth?"
The speaker was a man.
He was a peak Martial King who had come from the strongholds.
Within one of the Mountains and Seas Picture Scrolls, he had pledged his life in secret to the daughter of a prime minister and had even taught her cultivation techniques.
Once, he had looked forward with longing to reuniting with his beloved.
Yet now it appeared that the convergence of worlds... would be a massacre?
"Indeed. In every Mountains and Seas Picture Scroll, there resides an avatar of Dongjun's Dao companion.
"Every avatar is reliving the events of the past.
"The Mountains and Seas Picture Scrolls were originally illusory. Dongjun used the Mountain and River Sheji Brush to paint illusions, forging a single truth out of them.
"We shall support one avatar and have her execute and devour the other avatars.
"In the end, by devouring destiny, she will become Dongjun's Dao companion.
"The Mountains and Seas Picture Scroll she inhabits will represent the truth—it will be the future of our Origin Land.
"The remaining Mountains and Seas Picture Scrolls will fade into vanity, and the Land of the End will become a thing of the past.
"Without the End, the single Mountains and Seas Picture Scroll created by Dongjun will be the true future, an infinite future!"
A fanatical look burned upon Martial Lord Heilu's face.
After so many years, with the world rebooted time and time again, they were finally about to succeed.
"But in doing so... wouldn't everyone in the other Mountains and Seas Picture Scrolls die?" The man's face grew bitter. His beloved was still inside one of the scrolls.
If his beloved's world was among the sacrificed scrolls, he could not accept it.
"For the sake of the world, certain sacrifices are necessary!" Martial Lord Heilu answered.
A Titled Martial Lord also spoke up: "They were created by Dongjun in the first place; their purpose from birth was sacrifice.
"Now, the time has come for them to make that sacrifice!"
"Indeed. Dongjun's creation of them was a boundless grace—one they could never repay across lifetimes!"
The eyes of these Martial Lords were resolute.
After all, having stood firm in this conviction for so many years, even if they truly recognized their wrongdoing, they would never admit it.
"Dongjun's creation of the Mountains and Seas Picture Scrolls is indeed an act of grace, but the Land of the End... how are they at fault?" At this moment, Mu Yan finally could not hold back any longer.
"They were destined for destruction anyway; we are merely lending a hand!" Mu Yan's bloodline progenitor spoke at this point. Looking at Mu Yan, he said softly, "You newly ascended Martial Lords have lived through too few years and have never beheld Dongjun's true countenance, so it is only natural to have such misunderstandings.
"For this mission from Dongjun, you all shall remain behind to guard the Origin Land."
The moment this Martial Lord finished speaking, he struck without hesitation.
Many Martial Lords present also took action, swiftly subduing and trapping the newly ascended Martial Lords.
"No! Progenitor, doing this is sheer madness!
"Perhaps there is no need to annihilate these worlds at all—Heavenly Venerable Qi Yuan might also be able to avert the Great Calamity!" Mu Yan roared at the top of his lungs, his voice hoarse.
Though he considered himself selfish, he still could not bear to see those he knew or held dear perish.
Within the Mountains and Seas Picture Scrolls, he had spent tens of thousands of years.
He had also made many friends.
He simply could not bear to see them die.
Most importantly, he had never seen Dongjun, nor did he place any faith in Dongjun's grand scheme.
Compared to Dongjun, he was far more inclined to believe in Qi Yuan.
The enemy behind the Great Calamity was undeniably formidable.
Yet... was Heavenly Venerable Qi Yuan not formidable as well?
The terrifying might to swallow stars whole, coupled with so many powerful followers...
Could so many supreme powerhouses truly fail to resolve a mere calamity?
If even they could not resolve it, could Dongjun's scheme really work?
"Say no more. What Dongjun says is the truth!" a Martial Lord declared.
"You are all... too terrifying!" Mu Yan felt utter despair.
It was as if he were seeing these people for the first time.
The Martial Lords bound Mu Yan and the others, casting them back into the Origin Land.
The remaining Martial Lords turned their eyes toward the Black Sea, their gazes surging with fervor.
"The great transformation of heaven and earth has begun. The power of the Black Sea is waning; we too can enter the Black Sea."
"The numerous worlds of the Mountains and Seas Picture Scrolls lie within the Black Sea."
"To save time, we should charge straight into the Mountains and Seas Picture Scrolls, slaughter the mortals clean, capture the avatars, and deliver them to the primary body!" a Titled Martial Lord suggested.
Hearing this, the other Titled Martial Lords nodded in agreement.
"With such a glorious feat of world-saving, we shall be revered as gods!"
The Martial Lords surged into the Black Sea in grand fashion.
They had long since designated one Mountains and Seas Picture Scroll as the real world.
The avatar of Dongjun's Dao companion in that scroll possessed the highest degree of completion and was also the most hopelessly in love.
As long as they captured the other avatars, brought them before her, and allowed her to devour and slay them, Dongjun's Dao companion would awaken within her body.
"Hahaha! Suppressed for a million years, persevering for a million years, we are finally about to succeed!"
Above the Black Sea, these Martial Lords laughed like madmen.
Rebooting again and again, reborn time and time again, their wills had long since warped.
Moreover, the lifespan of a Martial Lord did not even reach a million years.
The beings they were now were by no means ordinary Martial Lords.
At this moment, they finally ceased holding themselves back.
"Heheh, there is a whirlpool up ahead—it must be an entrance to a Mountains and Seas Picture Scroll.
"This scroll belongs to this old man!"
An old man spoke up, his voice leaking through missing teeth.
His reason for entering the scroll was to seize that avatar of Dongjun's Dao companion.
As for the other living beings, he intended to slaughter them with his own hands.
Otherwise, if they left it to the inhabitants to kill one another, how long would it take to finish?
Furthermore, what if the chosen people of the true realm fell in love with their counterparts from the parallel worlds and refused to kill them?
Therefore, to save trouble, it was better that they carry out the slaughter themselves.
"The Heavenly Venerable is gone; no one under the heavens can stop us!" this Titled Martial Lord bellowed with laughter.
With the great upheaval of heaven and earth, the Origin Land could no longer harbor Yang Gods.
Even if Qi Yuan had laid plans and left behind mighty experts, they would not be able to remain in the Origin Land.
Were it not for this upheaval, they themselves would never have been able to enter the Black Sea, making it even more impossible for anyone to hide within it.
Thus, at present, they were like dragons let loose into the open sea, entirely uncontainable.
Having spoken, the Titled Martial Lord reached out a colossal hand toward that Mountains and Seas Picture Scroll.
Seeing this, the other Titled Martial Lords also began searching for the entrances to other scrolls.
Meanwhile, on a riverbank, Lüzhu's expression shifted drastically.
"This is..."
A rift tore across the sky above.
A terrifying, sinister claw reached through the heavens, seemingly poised to annihilate the entire world.
Looking upon this apocalyptic scene, countless people trembled in terror, their faces pale with fright.
"That's... a Martial Lord, a legendary Martial Lord!" Lüzhu gritted her teeth, murderous intent flashing in her eyes.
Beside her, Wang Yuanyu appeared relatively composed, though a flicker of disappointment crossed her eyes nonetheless. "What a pity. Before the convergence has even occurred, it must... end like this?"
She seemed to know a great deal, and she understood her own destiny.
Her sole disappointment was that the Mountains and Seas Picture Scrolls had not yet converged, and she had neither seen Qi Yuan again nor received the black stockings he had promised her.
She had even promised that she would wear them for Qi Yuan to see.
"No, I refuse to accept such a fate!" Lüzhu gritted her teeth and let out a furious cry. "Blood Massacre Staff, I need your help!"
As Lüzhu roared, the river before her turned crimson in an instant.
A blood-red wooden staff materialized.
The staff was an eerie, glaring shade of blood, exuding an exceptionally sinister aura.
This wooden staff was the weapon of the Red Staff Demon Butcher.
Back then, the Red Staff Demon Butcher had eradicated every demon between heaven and earth before flicking his sleeves and departing.
He had left the Blood Massacre Staff behind in this realm.
It had subsequently become the supreme sacred weapon of this world.
Now, grasping the Blood Massacre Staff that her master had once wielded, Lüzhu wore a look of utter resolve. "What Master could accomplish, I can accomplish as well!"
"Ahhh!"
The immense crimson staff lunged forward with indomitable momentum, charging straight toward the monstrous claw in the sky.
A bloody hue diffused across the horizon, painting the firmament a deep, gory red.
*Boom!* A world-shattering collision erupted.
Trails of blood dripped from Lüzhu's eyes. Gazing at the gigantic claw in the heavens, despair crept over her face. "Master... I am sorry. Your disciple was simply too weak to grasp even a sliver of your true essence."
At this moment, the Titled Martial Lord in the sky revealed a look of surprise. "To think that within this Mountains and Seas Picture Scroll, someone can unleash power on par with a Martial Lord. That red wooden staff is rather interesting."
Sweeping his gaze past Lüzhu, the Titled Martial Lord locked his eyes on Wang Yuanyu. "This old man's luck is truly grand. To run into you right upon arrival means I won't have to sift through the anthill one by one."
Lüzhu gritted her teeth, glaring up at the sky as she spat through clenched teeth, "If my master were here, how could you ever act so brazenly!"
"Hmph, a mere native of a Mountains and Seas Picture Scroll dares bark at me?
"You haven't the slightest idea of the gulf that lies between you and me.
"Even if your master were to appear, how could he possibly stop me? Who in this world could ever stop me!"
The Titled Martial Lord laughed arrogantly.
It had been a very long time since he had deigned to speak with mere ants.
Just then, Wang Yuanyu looked toward the Titled Martial Lord and said softly, "Your target is me. If I leave with you, can you spare the others?"
The Titled Martial Lord shook his head. "Dongjun bestowed his grace, permitting you all to exist for so long. Now, it is time for you to repay Dongjun... Fade into oblivion, all of you!"
With a ferocious sneer, the Titled Martial Lord thrust a massive skeletal claw down toward Wang Yuanyu.
Yet, right at that moment, an icy voice suddenly rang out beside the Titled Martial Lord's ear.
"This wooden staff is something my husband is quite fond of; he has mentioned it to this humble one several times.
"You've gone and soiled his staff—shouldn't you... apologize with your life?"
As the voice fell, the Titled Martial Lord's pupils shrank.
Directly before him, a woman in a black dress appeared out of thin air.
She had a petite, delicate figure and strikingly fair skin, yet her voice was as biting as winter frost.
A veil of mist seemed to envelop her, preventing anyone from discerning her features or pinpointing where she truly stood.
"Who... are you?" The Titled Martial Lord felt profound dread, mixed with bewilderment.
"This humble one is... Qi Yuan's darling little wife."
Ning Tao offered a sweet smile, glanced at Lüzhu and Wang Yuanyu, and gently tapped a finger forward.
In an instant, an expression of sheer terror surfaced on the peerlessly formidable Titled Martial Lord's face.
"Time... No! Just who are you?!"
His hair was already stark white.
Yet the moment her finger tapped forward, he felt as though he had lived through an eternity of endless eons.
His body decayed; his consciousness turned completely chaotic.
"Husband is right: folks who don't like bathing ought to go plant trees six feet under!"
With a casual wave of Ning Tao's hand, this Titled Martial Lord instantly perished—the cause of death being old age.
Chapter 378