Pillar Tiankai

All dharmas in the mortal realm lead ultimately to Returning to Nothingness. Upon Mount Origin, Sansheng had once witnessed the paths of other Yang Six beings. Those Yang Six powerhouses had also extended olive branches to Sansheng, wishing to invite him to walk alongside them. Among them was one named Wufa. Wufa meant conservation. In that world, there was no supernatural, no supernatural factors, no living beings or bizarre phenomena; visible matter was erased. In Wufa's world, energy and matter were conserved. This bore some resemblance to Sansheng's Great Dao of Cycle. However, the real world—such as the Yin Realm, the Rebirth Realm, and the Yang Realm—was not truly conserved. "Cultivation is just too hard." "This game is way too difficult to play, too." Qi Yuan could not help but sigh. Serving as the coachman, the mountain master of Heavenly King Mountain heard this and dared not utter a single word. …… The flames of war spread. Terrifying divine power barred the heavens, cleaving the world in two and even slicing through the Dark Void. Stationed to the north and south of this divine barrier were the armies of Broken Soul Bridge and Myriad Gods Mountain. Countless ironclad legions filled war fortress after war fortress. Any single war fortress could trample the living beings of an entire small universe underfoot. And here, there were a full thousand of such war fortresses. Within one of the war fortresses, Eleventh Godchild Tong Xun stood clad in military armor, frowning deeply as he reviewed the battle reports. "Pingya Great Pass cannot be taken despite continuous assaults, and the front line is trapped in a stalemate. How frustrating!" Thousands of years had passed since Pillar Tiankai arrived at the front lines, yet the battle line had never truly advanced. For a godchild like Tong Xun who sought military achievements, this was not good news. "Another thirty-seven God Lords are stationed at Pingya Great Pass. Pushing forward in the short term will be exceedingly difficult," a subordinate reported. Tong Xun stroked his chin, lost in thought. Right then, another subordinate spoke up. "Your Highness, news has just arrived. Your younger brother, Qi Yuan, has submitted a request to travel to the northern front to visit an old friend." Tong Xun's gaze shifted sharply. "Him?" He harbored quite a few grudges and complaints regarding Qi Yuan. If Qi Yuan had not stepped into the God Lord realm and avoided conscription, he might very well be serving under Tong Xun right now, sent by Tong Xun to assault Pingya Great Pass. A written dispatch appeared in Tong Xun's hand. He examined it closely. The document was very simple: an ordinary transit writ. Currently, although Broken Soul Bridge and Myriad Gods Mountain were at war, with the path ahead blocked and even the Dark Void severed, many True Gods could still pass through so long as they obtained a transit writ from either side. War was war, but business was business. Myriad Gods Mountain and Broken Soul Bridge had fought for so many years that merchant firms and auction houses in the surrounding area allowed people from both sides to coexist peacefully. "He wants to go north?" Holding the transit writ, Tong Xun smiled. "This little brother of mine has arrived at the front lines, yet he doesn't pay respects to me, his elder brother, nor to Father God. Isn't that a bit presumptuous?" As Tong Xun spoke, he prepared to withhold the transit writ. "Inform the True God in charge of this matter that there is an issue with this transit writ and that it is being temporarily held with me," Tong Xun sneered. Pingya Great Pass remained unbreached, and he had already been in a foul mood. Now that Qi Yuan wanted to pass through and had crossed his path, naturally Tong Xun intended to obstruct him. …… On the other side, Godchild Ha Jin and Divine Maiden Xi Shui wore troubled expressions. "Brother Qi Yuan's transit writ was held up by Tong Xun." "How infuriating. Tong Xun is deliberately making things difficult." The two of them were the ones who had helped Qi Yuan apply for the transit writ. Although they had previously shared some friction with Qi Yuan, after he stepped into the God Lord realm, both had sent generous gifts to mend relations. Now that Qi Yuan needed to cross the border and had given them advance notice, they naturally wanted to handle the matter properly. Yet this complication had arisen. "Confound it, that Tong Xun..." Ha Jin's face darkened. He had no fondness for Tong Xun. However, with the strength of the two of them, opposing Tong Xun was indeed difficult. "Qi Yuan will be here any moment. If he finds out about this..." Xi Shui frowned. Since Qi Yuan was passing through, they had specially invited him for a brief gathering. The banquet was already prepared. Within the great hall right now, all manner of precious divine ingredients, immortal elixirs, and divine treasures were laid out. Yet such an aggravating nuisance had cropped up. "Long time no see." Just then, a voice rang out. Ha Jin and Xi Shui perked up, realizing that Qi Yuan had arrived. "Brother Qi Yuan, long time no see! You look as magnificent as ever," Ha Jin and Xi Shui hurriedly said. Their minds raced, trying to figure out how to explain the matter of the transit writ. Now that Qi Yuan was in the God Lord realm, his strength surpassed theirs. In Myriad Gods Mountain, strength reigned supreme, so they could no longer casually address Qi Yuan as their younger brother. "It really has been a while. Three thousand years," Qi Yuan sighed. Time truly flew. Three thousand years already. Just as he sighed, he suddenly froze. Wait, he had never met Ha Jin or Xi Shui before. This was his very first time seeing them. Damn it, his opening greeting was a blunder. That was pretty low EQ. Oh well, what was said was said. Time to drop the topic. "Which old friend does Brother Qi Yuan plan to visit on the northern front?" Ha Jin asked, preparing to bring up Tong Xun when the moment was right. "A little brother named... Heavenly God." "Heavenly God?" Ha Jin froze. The name sounded familiar. The Heavenly God of Nine Heavens Divine Palace? Or did someone just share the name? After a moment's thought, Ha Jin felt it was definitely a shared name. After all, even the Emperor God might not necessarily get to meet the Heavenly God. As for Qi Yuan... how could he possibly meet him? At the same time, he was astounded that Qi Yuan's friend had the nerve to take the name 'Heavenly God'. Did he not understand taboos concerning the names of the venerable? "That name is a bit too arrogant. The words 'Heavenly God' aren't something just anyone can adopt," Xi Shui remarked casually from the side. "Is that so?" Qi Yuan blinked. In his view, the name sounded ordinary enough. Besides, what name one went by was Heavenly God's own freedom. "When I see Heavenly God, I'll pass your words along to him," Qi Yuan told Xi Shui. Hearing this, Xi Shui was taken aback, an ominous premonition stirring in her heart. Meanwhile, Ha Jin saw that the time was ripe and was just about to bring up Tong Xun. Only... Abruptly, an extraordinarily dense divine light descended. The entire front line seemed enveloped by this terrifying divine radiance. In all the world, nothing remained except this singular divine beam. Like a sun, like a cosmic marvel. Everyone sensed this terrifying fluctuation. Ha Jin and Xi Shui were no exception. "A Dao God?" "No, is that Pillar Tiankai?" "Has Broken Soul Bridge launched an assault?" Everyone was filled with bewilderment. Amid the widespread confusion, the bewilderment on Ha Jin and Xi Shui's faces transformed into utter excitement. Within the original great hall, a silhouette of light manifested. It stood between heaven and earth, yet seemed not to belong to this world at all. Its face was indistinct, its gender unrecognizable. Wrapped in divine radiance, the Great Daos arrayed themselves about It. "Greetings, Father God!" Without a shred of hesitation, Ha Jin and Xi Shui hurriedly bowed. After bowing, both froze for a moment, then hurriedly winked and gestured at Qi Yuan. Why are you just standing there? Bow! This was Father God, Tiankai—one of the Twelve Pillars of Myriad Gods Mountain! What had It come here for? Yet in the very next breath, something occurred that astonished both of them even further. "Senior arrived without a sound, leaving Me no choice but to come and pay My respects in person. I hope Senior will not take offense," Pillar Tiankai spoke. His voice was indistinct, sounding as though It resonated from beyond this realm. Qi Yuan shrugged and smiled. "A trivial matter." Hearing this, Ha Jin and Xi Shui felt tempestuous waves churn within their hearts. What did Father God call Qi Yuan? Senior? Could it be that Qi Yuan had already overcome the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations? Was he on par with the Emperor God? Pillar Tiankai looked at Qi Yuan, His demeanor respectful. "The Emperor God has often mentioned a desire to pay respects to Senior." Back on Myriad Gods Mountain, Qi Yuan had invited God Lord Heitian. Heitian had left afterward. However, the dissipated aura was still caught by the master of Myriad Gods Mountain, the Emperor God. Thus, Tiankai had also learned some information regarding Qi Yuan. Toward a mysterious entity like Qi Yuan, even powerhouses like the Emperor God who had passed the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations naturally wished to pay their respects. After all, obtaining a few words of guidance from Qi Yuan might yield immense benefits. Hence, the moment Pillar Tiankai learned Qi Yuan was here, It showed up immediately. "Once I finish my business, I will go see him," Qi Yuan replied calmly. Regarding Samsara and Returning to Nothingness, he had many thoughts. He would visit the Emperor God and other powerhouses to understand Returning to Nothingness. After all, every cultivator was ultimately a part of Returning to Nothingness. At that moment, Pillar Tiankai extended a hand, and a bubble appeared. Within the bubble, a living being was imprisoned, time and space seemingly frozen around him. "This is Tong Xun. He has offended You and is now imprisoned here, left entirely at Senior's disposal." With a casual wave of Pillar Tiankai's hand, the bubble floated over to Qi Yuan. It was as though what It tossed was not Its own scion, but a mere marble. As for Tong Xun inside the bubble, sheer panic filled his face, terrified to the absolute extreme.