The Heavenly God had perished.
The supreme experts watching this domain were struck dumb with disbelief.
"The Heavenly God has actually been annihilated!"
"His obsession dissolved upon a single glance at Qi Yuan?"
"It seems the bond between the Heavenly God and Sansheng... was far more than an ordinary brotherhood of disciples."
Sighs echoed among these exalted figures, their expressions varied and complex.
A dark shadow murmured in disbelief, "Of all of us, I was the only one who believed in him... but even I never dreamed it would end like this!"
Most experts had assumed this battle would be brutal and desperate, concluding inevitably with Qi Yuan's demise. After all, the world had never seen an instance of a Yang Five slaying a Yang Six.
Yet unexpectedly, Qi Yuan lived. He had triumphed—and had done so with bewildering ease.
The moment the Heavenly God laid eyes on Qi Yuan, He simply perished.
It was too straightforward, too astonishing, completely defying everyone's expectations. After all, it made no sense logically or emotionally.
Of course, they did not know that the Heavenly God had already reached the end of His tether. In resisting Returning to Nothingness over all these years, the wounds He had sustained were scarcely lighter than Sansheng's.
"Sansheng... was merely a part of him? Does this mean... yet another Yang Six will arise in this world?" murmured Pillar Tiankai, his gaze filled with conflicting emotions.
That was a Yang Six—a being standing above heaven and earth, presiding over myriad realms, eternal and everlasting.
"Sansheng never stepped into Yang Six. With his pride and his devotion to seeking the Great Dao, would he truly advance to Yang Six so simply?" Emperor God held a different view.
To the rest of them, Yang Six was impossibly distant; they could not catch even the faintest glimmer of its light. But to Sansheng, it was nothing extraordinary.
After all, the legendary Heavenly Emperor had shared a relationship with Sansheng that was both teacher and friend. Rumors even held that the Heavenly Emperor had attained Yang Six largely due to Sansheng's guidance.
During that journey to Origin Mountain, everyone had believed Sansheng was destined to step into Yang Six. Yet nobody anticipated that Sansheng would reject the paths paved by others in favor of forging his own.
He had stood before Yang Six and refused to cross the threshold.
With such peerless talent and towering pride, how could he casually step into Yang Six now?
"The Heavenly God reached Yang Six, and the Heavenly Emperor attained Yang Six as well... If one could forge a friendship with him, perhaps..." Emperor God murmured softly, lost in contemplation.
Fortunately, through his connection with Tiankai, he had an opportunity to meet Qi Yuan. If Qi Yuan imparted the Dao or offered him even a shred of guidance, the benefits would be unimaginable.
In the distance, countless powerhouses were stirred, each harboring their own calculations. Facing Qi Yuan and Sansheng, who wouldn't want to establish ties? Even the briefest insight dropped offhandedly would ring like the music of the Great Dao in their ears.
Yet when they turned their eyes toward Qi Yuan once more, they discovered his figure had vanished without a trace.
It was as if he had never existed at all.
"Where did he go?"
All the titans and sovereigns looked around in bewilderment, while the Dao Lords of the Cosmic Alliance were equally astonished. Qi Yuan had simply disappeared right before their eyes.
***
Origin Mountain.
The crisp sound of dripping water echoed as the Heavenly Emperor, clad in a pure white robe, held a kettle in one hand and poured tea with the other.
The tea boiled vigorously, billowing hot steam. With a gentle swirl of the Heavenly Emperor's hand, more steam dispersed, blending the leaves and water into perfect harmony.
"Our existence in this world... holds no inherent meaning. If there is any purpose to be found, it is simply... to find an opponent and surpass it," the Heavenly Emperor chuckled softly.
A stream of piping hot tea was poured into the cup, cooling to an ideal warmth in an instant.
Qi Yuan took a sip, finding it slightly astringent. "Do all the other Yang Six beings think this way?"
The realm of Yang Six was already the pinnacle of cultivation.
No matter how far one journeyed, one remained within Yang Six.
"In this world, one must always find something to do," the Heavenly Emperor remarked. "Last time, you told me that 'All Living Beings Are Me'... That was quite a fine Dao."
If all living beings were the Heavenly Emperor, and all were Yang Six, then Returning to Nothingness could not devour them.
This was another method of resisting Returning to Nothingness.
If other cultivators fought Returning to Nothingness merely to survive, then for a Yang Six, it was actually a means to hone oneself, or perhaps to find an adversary to lend their existence a sliver of meaning.
"Since adopting 'All Living Beings Are Me,' I have been continuously growing stronger. Compared to the last time I met you, I've grown... perhaps a hundred million times stronger?" The Heavenly Emperor casually tossed out an astronomical number.
Back then, he was already at Yang Six.
To become a hundred million times stronger on top of that—what kind of concept was that?
"However... in this lifetime, I suspect I will never surpass Returning to Nothingness." The Heavenly Emperor shifted his tone, fixing his gaze on Qi Yuan.
This was what he truly wished to convey.
"I, too, am a component of Returning to Nothingness. All living beings are Returning to Nothingness. Therefore, I will always be less than myself plus Returning to Nothingness."
As he grew stronger, Returning to Nothingness grew stronger alongside him.
He could be considered a part of Returning to Nothingness.
Thus, no matter how powerful he became, he could never surpass it. After all, the other Yang Six beings were also counted among its parts.
And so was he.
Hearing this, Qi Yuan fell silent before asking, "So you hone yourselves... by resisting Returning to Nothingness?"
"You could say that," the Heavenly Emperor replied. "Time is far too fleeting. Living beings... must always find something to occupy themselves with, must always have a higher goal to chase, wouldn't you agree?"
Every Yang Six regarded Returning to Nothingness as the target they sought to chase down.
At the very beginning, perhaps a given Yang Six's strength was close to Returning to Nothingness. Now, after countless years had passed, they approached it infinitely, yet could never truly surpass it.
This was also the dull, listless Dao of these Yang Six beings over the endless ages, as well as their pastime.
Being far too omniscient and omnipotent, they had witnessed far too many of the world's sights. Morality, ethics, and all conventional human concepts appeared utterly insignificant in the eyes of a Yang Six.
In their vision, only Returning to Nothingness and their own Great Dao held any weight.
After all, interesting matters and genuinely challenging endeavors were few and far between for them.
It was much like a Yang Six possessing the power to use cheat codes at will in every game across creation; only when facing Returning to Nothingness did they need to keep their feet on the ground, playing honestly and grinding away day by day.
"Sigh, I'm still young and haven't lived long. I haven't cultivated thoughts as profound or insights as deep as yours," Qi Yuan admitted candidly.
In truth, he rather admired those who were open-minded, who saw through the ways of the world, or who carved out their own unique paths.
"I resist Returning to Nothingness simply because... I'm an ordinary person."
Although he had embarked on the path of cultivation, Qi Yuan had always felt he was an ordinary man who lacked the demeanor of a true powerhouse.
When supreme powerhouses clashed, their casual strikes could swallow entire star systems, extinguishing hundreds of millions of lives. Those figures killed without batting an eye, never even caring if their eyes grew tired.
Qi Yuan couldn't do that; he liked blinking his eyes.
Every time he killed an enemy, he took immense care to control his spiritual power so as not to harm the innocent.
He would not even crush an ant carelessly.
Of course, the flies and mosquitoes buzzing around his ears were another matter entirely.
Because of this, Qi Yuan lacked the mindset of an overlord, continuing to see himself as a mundane fellow.
"I'm just too softhearted," Qi Yuan sighed.
As for slaughtering someone's entire clan or annihilating a whole sect, that wasn't his fault. Besides, could those two things even be compared?
"I don't want to see mortals struggling their whole lives just to barely survive.
"I don't want to see kind souls perish from misfortune.
"I don't want to see the lovely trapped in misery.
"I don't want to see tyrannical bullies living in luxury.
"I don't want to see foul-mouthed trolls enjoying unprincipled lives.
"Nor do I want to see the devoted destroyed by betrayal, the promiscuous die in fidelity, or the sincere slandered into ruin... The eight worldly sufferings leave people constantly yearning for what they cannot obtain."
There were far too many things Qi Yuan did not wish to see.
Especially the part about foul-mouthed trolls enjoying unprincipled lives—Qi Yuan had poor eloquence and social anxiety, and he had never once won an internet argument. If his arguing skills ever improved, he would delete that line and wholeheartedly support foul-mouthed trolls enjoying unprincipled lives.
Qi Yuan was a complicated person.
Or rather, every living being in this world was complicated.
Sinister, scheming conspirators still had things they cherished. Exalted figures whose deeds lasted for generations still possessed moral flaws. Even sages had selfish desires.
Right and wrong were, to some extent, defined by society, or depended entirely on whose perspective one adopted. From different angles, the answers differed. Of course, it might also simply depend on who held the power of discourse.
"I also don't want to see innocent ants trampled under my feet.
"Looking back, when I was thirteen, I accidentally spilled a cup of boiling water and scalded three ants to death.
"I was a minor back then, protected by minor protection laws, so I bore no legal liability. On top of that, I had a mental illness.
"Even so... I felt terribly guilty. Those were three living ants. Even though they were worker ants, toiling their entire lives in selfless sacrifice—and in the eyes of cultivators like us, dying might even be seen as releasing them from their sea of suffering—I had no right to pass judgment on their lives or decide their fates, even if most people would consider it a mercy.
"Do you understand?"
Qi Yuan looked at the Heavenly Emperor, speaking with genuine emotion.
The Heavenly Emperor leisurely raised his teacup and took a slow sip.
"In the past, I would have called you sick, pretentious, and childish. But now... good luck, Qi Yuan. I, too, wish to see whether your Dao of Samsara can truly stand against Returning to Nothingness."
"Why must we oppose Returning to Nothingness? In truth... am I not part of Returning to Nothingness as well?" Qi Yuan took another sip of tea. "What did Returning to Nothingness do wrong? Why must we fight it?"
"...Returning to Nothingness did nothing wrong," the Heavenly Emperor replied. "In fact, it was the very first Yang Six in this world."
"Is that so?" Qi Yuan's expression remained tranquil as he drained his cup in a single gulp. "The tea is finished, and it's time for me to go. I haven't beaten the game yet, and I'm very busy. Next time... I'll come back to drink tea with you."
With those words, his figure vanished.
Upon Origin Mountain, the Heavenly Emperor continued to sip his tea at an unhurried pace, as though Qi Yuan had never appeared at all.
***
"My special ability is merging into all things."
"What if I merge... into Returning to Nothingness?"
"To establish Samsara, to resolve Returning to Nothingness, and to save those three ants, I must understand them and know them..."
"Just as when I killed the Heavenly Emperor: if I wished to resurrect him, I would need to know his divine abilities, his Great Dao, his methods... everything about him."
In an unknown expanse, Qi Yuan's robes fluttered and whipped violently in the wind.
He had considered many things, and he had come to understand just as much.
"Let Samsara... begin from the very beginning."
"Merge... into Returning to Nothingness."
After becoming a Yin God, this special ability Qi Yuan had acquired was something he had rarely used, save for when he merged into the Gate of Myriad Manifestations.
At this moment, he chose to merge into Returning to Nothingness.
He wanted to witness the living beings that had faded into nothingness.
If he did not look upon those people and those creatures, how could he pull them into... his own soul?
"Three little ants... here I come."
Qi Yuan whispered softly, his form vanishing entirely.
His consciousness blurred in that instant, like the cicadas' drone under the midday sun accelerated a hundredfold.
Suddenly, an ice-cold can of Sprite ruptured like a prearranged signal.
Spinning, turning upside down.
Time was pulled back onto its true trajectory.
***
Moon Gazing Continent.
The banks of July Lake.
The Ancient Qi Toon Tree towered into the clouds, its height unknowable, appearing just a fraction away from plucking the stars.
"Old man, stop boasting! What Faceless Sword God? What extraterrestrial demons? That's all nonsense made up to trick children!"
Inside a tavern, a burly fellow spoke with alcohol on his breath, his words dripping with contempt.
"You've told that story at least a hundred times! We're sick of hearing it—tell another!"
A chorus of rowdy martial artists joined in the jeering.
The heavily bearded old man flushed crimson, looking as if he had downed counterfeit liquor.
"You... you lot... Sigh, this mortal world isn't worth it!"
Cursing under his breath, the bearded old man stormed out.
When his figure reappeared, he stood within a dilapidated shrine.
Inside the shrine rested a slightly crumbling divine statue.
This statue had no carved face.
"A mere three hundred years, and it has already come to this?"
"Sigh..."
The bearded old man gazed at the statue, his expression a mixture of yearning, reminiscence, and profound reverence.
Right at that moment, a clear voice spoke up.
"Old man, don't dwell forever in the past. A person has to look forward. Perhaps this figure is important to you, but to others, they hold different people... and different things dearer to their hearts."
"Scram, scram! What could a brat like you possibly understand about the Faceless Sword God?" the bearded old man snapped.
"Nobody in this world understands him better than me," the young man remarked, borrowing a certain famous quote once more.
At that moment, the bearded old man seemed to realize something and whipped his head around.
He scrutinized the young man behind him, his eyes filled with doubt and uncertainty.
His pupils trembled.
"You... you..."
"Long Pan, long time no see. You still blush just as easily as you used to."
This young man was, naturally, Qi Yuan.
He had merged into Returning to Nothingness, originally intending to journey back to the origin of his life to find the three ants he had scalded to death. To his surprise, he had arrived on Moon Gazing Continent instead.
Or rather, the Moon Gazing Continent after the eradication of the extraterrestrial demons.
Long Pan was one of the God Realm experts who had lain within the coffins of the Five Elements Forbidden Area. Back then, when Qi Yuan entered the forbidden area and gained the acknowledgment of the Five Ancestors, he had obtained control over the forbidden area along with the divine reflections of those God Realm experts.
Long Pan was one of them.
From the memories of the divine reflection, Qi Yuan knew that Long Pan had possessed a handsome, delicate appearance, but had blushed easily. To avoid being looked down upon, he had grown a full beard.
"You..." Long Pan's heart shook, unable to believe what he was seeing even now.
Back then, Qi Yuan had ventured alone into Earth's End to wage a desperate war against the extraterrestrial demons. How tragic and glorious that battle had been! He should have been obliterated so thoroughly that not even ash remained.
"Don't be excited. I came from the future just to take a look around. I didn't expect... to arrive at the wrong point in time," Qi Yuan said.
He glanced at the statue of the Faceless Sword God, then walked leisurely toward the banks of July Lake.
Many of his memories lingered by July Lake.
Long Pan's heart fluttered with unease, uncertain of how to process the word "future."
"This time... it finally isn't snowing."
July Lake rippled under the light, white ducks paddling with red feet, green carp leaping from the depths, and the Ancient Qi Toon Tree stretching endlessly into the distance.
"Where are Yu... and Zanghua?" Qi Yuan asked offhandedly.
Being omniscient and omnipotent, a casual pulse of his perception could have answered every question. But if he did that, where would the joy be?
"Our lamps had already burned low on oil. When we stepped out of the seal and learned you had slaughtered the extraterrestrial demons all by yourself, we felt immense guilt... yet also deep relief," Long Pan said wistfully. "The first to depart was Yu... He was the strongest among us, but he also exerted himself the most in every battle and bore the heaviest hidden injuries. The second to go was... Zanghua. A month ago, Xiao Lü left as well; she was buried in the Five Elements Forbidden Area to keep the Five Ancestors company.
"Now, I am the only one left, barely clinging to life."
Long Pan spoke haltingly, awash in memories of the past.
Old friends had withered away one after another, making this mortal realm they had once protected feel increasingly alien. He felt like a fleeting traveler, doomed to die of old age in some forgotten corner on a lonely night.
When his body was eventually found, he would probably be mistaken for a dead vagrant, wrapped haphazardly in a straw mat, and buried in a mass grave.
No one in this world would remember him.
Or rather, in the future timeline, no one aside from Qi Yuan would remember this handsome, bearded man who blushed so easily.
"Back then, in the Five Elements Forbidden Area, the Five Ancestors sacrificed themselves to pave my path. I remember every bit of that kindness," Qi Yuan said. "At that time... I thought that if I could re-establish earth, water, wind, and fire, turning the false into reality and bringing the illusory into existence, I would surely bring the Five Ancestors back to the mortal world."
Beside him, Long Pan shuddered violently, recalling Qi Yuan's claim of having come from the future.
He seemed to realize something.
Could it be...
That was far too terrifying and unimaginable.
"Hey, Long Pan, do you think Yu, Tong, and Zanghua... would be willing to enter my Samsara?" Qi Yuan asked.
He respected the wishes of others.
His resurrection differed from that of ordinary Yang Gods.
Other Yang Gods might resurrect someone with the same memories, creating an identical person, while Dao Lords retrieved true spirits from the Cosmic Mother River. Qi Yuan's method... was to place a mark upon them and bring them into his Samsara.
Long Pan's body trembled slightly. "Perhaps... they would."
"However, my resurrection... involves a bit of an invasion of personal privacy. Would that be inappropriate?" Qi Yuan hesitated.
His method of resurrection took several forms. Or rather, his way of combating Returning to Nothingness was to truly know all things and understand all things.
The Dao produced One, One produced Two, Two produced Three, and Three produced the myriad things.
All things fell within the scope of Returning to Nothingness.
To oppose Returning to Nothingness was to oppose everyone, including oneself.
To understand Returning to Nothingness was to understand all things, to comprehend everything in existence.
It could be a gust of wind sweeping through a hall, a sleeping yeast spore, or a laughing pangolin.
Merging into all things, placing a mark upon them, and bringing them into his Samsara.
"Ah, I forgot! They already gave me their divine reflections back then, so I already know all their private secrets," Qi Yuan noted.
Hearing this, Long Pan's weathered face flushed crimson once more.
His past had also been laid bare before Qi Yuan.
"They probably won't mind, right?" Long Pan said hesitantly.
"Sigh, Samsara is too difficult. The very first step requires violating people's right to privacy," Qi Yuan sighed.
Truly, the path to achieving great deeds was destined to be fraught with hardship.
Running red lights and invading personal privacy were lines Qi Yuan simply could not cross.
He had always been lawful good.
Granted, he occasionally slaughtered an entire clan or wiped out a family, but wasn't that just the influence of Homelander from Blue Star? Besides, could those two things even be compared? Slaughtering a family had no bearing on never running a red light.
"In that case, I'll begin," Qi Yuan said.
"Alright," Long Pan nodded vigorously.
Qi Yuan closed his eyes.
He began utilizing his special ability once more.
He merged into Returning to Nothingness.
He merged into the Moon Gazing Continent.
He merged into... the deceased Ancestor Jin, Ancestor Mu, Ancestor Shui, Ancestor Huo, and Ancestor Tu, as well as the God Realm experts of the Five Elements Forbidden Area whom he had reflected upon.
Countless memories flooded into his mind once again.
He seemed to see a cheerful blacksmith hammering away diligently every day, sparks flying in all directions, a broad grin perpetually plastered across his face.
His life was dull and monotonous, and his favorite pastime was fishing.
Catching a fish gave him immense satisfaction.
He lived in his own small world, while his wife often complained that he lacked ambition, claiming he deserved to remain a blacksmith in this small town for the rest of his life.
Later... the extraterrestrial demons invaded.
As the God Court's Ancestor Jin, he charged at the very forefront.
Alas, the strength of a God Realm titan fell far short of those extraterrestrial demons.
A fishing line dropped from the heavens, its hook gleaming brightly, and he was hooked—just like the fish he so loved to catch.
He died, leaving only a single sheet of skin behind in the world.
That skin was the carrier of the metal attribute.
This time, his wife wept her heart out, never complaining about his lack of ambition again.
"This was his story."
"Everyone's story... is so deeply moving when you immerse yourself in it," Qi Yuan sighed.
Just like a stray dog kicked by the roadside: if one looked deep into its heart, it too possessed its own tale, its own joys and sorrows.
Unfortunately, people were different, species were different, entangled in conflicting interests and natural selection. All living beings struggled against one another.
"Now it's Ancestor Huo's story..."
"Now Ancestor Tu..."
"Yu..."
...
"Xiao Lü..."
Standing by the banks of July Lake, he experienced the pasts of these people and the lives they had led.
After an unknown stretch of time, he opened his eyes, his gaze crystalline.
Long Pan, who had remained standing beside him the entire time, perked up, looking as though he wanted to ask something but didn't dare to speak.
"No need to worry. Once I return to the present era, they will naturally revive and reappear in this world."
"They can choose to live in the present, or they can choose to live in the future."
"If they complain that bringing them back to this world only forces them to suffer, they don't need to look for me—they can just return to nothingness on their own."
Hearing this, Long Pan's expression shifted between hope and doubt.
After all, without seeing the Five Ancestors revive or his old companions walk the earth once more, he could not help feeling uncertain.
Qi Yuan paid no mind to this.
Right at that moment, a gentle, poised woman's voice rang out.
A graceful figure clad in long green robes appeared.
"May I ask where Your Excellency hails from, what your name is, and what business brings you to the Yue Dynasty?"
The woman's voice carried a hint of wariness.
Qi Yuan glanced at her and said softly, "A guest from the heavens."
As soon as the words left his mouth, his figure vanished, leaving behind only the stunned green-robed woman and a dazed Long Pan.
It was as though the entire encounter had been nothing more than a dream.
"Among all wood attributes in the world, the Ancient Qi Toon reigns supreme. You... must also be part of Master, or perhaps... a coordinate. Is it because of you that Xiao Jia came to my side?"
Qi Yuan reclined on a branch of the Ancient Qi Toon Tree, reaching upward as if he could grasp the sun, moon, and stars in his palm.
"Holding the sun and moon, plucking the stars; there is none like me under the heavens," Qi Yuan murmured softly.
With a wave of his hand, a delicate fragrance drifted forward.
Jin Li settled into Qi Yuan's embrace, the confusion in her eyes vanishing instantly, replaced by a tenderness like moonlight.
"Honestly... does this count as us meeting many times before our actual first encounter?" Qi Yuan asked.
"Across all timelines, I want to be the very first."
The woman in his arms turned her head and pressed her soft lips against his.
***
Sand whipped through the vast desert. A long river wound through the sands, but no setting sun hung in the sky.
"As expected, this world unlit by sun or moon was missing my Golden Core.
"Your sun has arrived," Qi Yuan muttered to himself.
Ahead lay the City of No Return.
Back then, Qi Yuan had guarded this place alone, holding the line against the demonic abominations.
No, Xiao Jia had been there with him.
Now, Qi Yuan stood here, gazing at the city walls from afar.
The battlements were deserted.
He looked into the distance and saw two figures stumbling forward through the swirling dust.
One carried a battle standard on his shoulder, while the other clutched a jar of wine to his chest.
Every few steps, they stopped to catch their breath.
In the future, the two of them would head to the City of No Return to hold the garrison, only to suffer grievous wounds and perish.
Qi Yuan took a long look at the two men, then vanished.
When he reappeared, he was standing on a battlefield.
Blood stained the earth, amidst scattered severed limbs and shattered weapons.
These were the bones of the fallen warriors from the Songzi Battalion.
"Back then, I said that I was destined to become an existence akin to a Great Luo Golden Immortal, and that I would remember them.
"Even though my memory isn't great, I still remembered.
"Not only that..."
"I didn't just remember these NPCs who had stories of their own; I also remembered those... who didn't even have names, who only appeared in the background as a cluster of numbers.
"I remember you all."
He looked upon the corpses—some aged and withered, others youthful and tender.
Someone's father, child, husband... or simply themselves.
Qi Yuan observed them with earnest focus, committing each of them to memory, just as he memorized the very grains of sand beneath his feet.
After an unknown period, his form flashed once more.
In a ramshackle village pigpen, a domestic pig was happily munching on wild greens.
Its diet clearly hadn't been great, leaving it looking rather pale and skinny.
"Is this the pig Chen Jiao kept nagging about needing to castrate?" Canary's crisp, melodic voice rang out, clear as chiming bells.
"Husband, though this servant's body and heart belong to you, as for castrating a pig... it would be best for you to handle it personally, wouldn't it?" Ning Tao, dressed in a black gown, took a step back, hiding her petite frame behind Qi Yuan.
"Huh?" Canary realized what was happening and gripped Qi Yuan's hand tightly. "I'm the number one beauty of Mount Jiupan! My body is precious and delicate—I'm not cutting off that thing on a pig!"
Evidently, she couldn't bring herself to do such work either.
Canary remained as proud, willful, and haughty as ever.
"You two..." Qi Yuan hesitated. "Before castrating the pig, shouldn't we ask for its opinion? Does it actually want to be castrated?"
"If it isn't castrated, the meat won't taste good, right?"
"It probably doesn't want to be eaten either, does it?"
"But if people don't eat it, they'll starve to death."
"How complicated."
Canary and Ning Tao whispered back and forth.
"Right, let's ask Chen Jiao. It's his pig."
"Isn't he dead?"
"In this timeline, a tiny wisp of his true spirit hasn't fully dispersed yet."
Qi Yuan waved his hand, and a spark of awareness seemed to awaken within the muddled, deceased true spirit of Chen Jiao.
At once, Chen Jiao caught sight of Qi Yuan, Canary, and Ning Tao.
"Am I not dead?"
"Could it be... the legends of descending to the Netherworld after death are actually true?"
He stared at Qi Yuan with intense trepidation.
In his eyes, this person must be a Lord of the Netherworld, an exalted deity.
Yet why did he feel this figure bore a striking resemblance to the garrison commander of the City of No Return?
Alas, his vision was too hazy to see clearly.
Facing such an entity, he had no idea what to say.
"Chen Jiao, does your pig still need to be castrated?"
"If it does, you do it!"
"...???" Chen Jiao was utterly dumbfounded.
***
Mortal Heart Realm.
Qi Yuan stretched his limbs lazily.
"No wonder Great Sage Blood Sun managed to produce two Yang Gods under his lineage. Turns out his luck was quite good—he stumbled upon a portion of Dao Lord Nan Ke's legacy."
This time, he had arrived in the Mortal Heart Realm.
Here, he saw many familiar faces and discovered things he had once overlooked.
"Wu Shi originated from the Yin Realm, a world created by Dao Lord Nan Ke—a collapsing universe.
"No wonder the entities that pursued her here were so weak. Was it because... this place was merely a dream of Nan Ke's as well?
"The Ancestral Land... is a product of the Yang Realm. When I have time, I can pay a visit to their hometown.
"Back then, they helped me so much; I have to return the favor, don't I?"
Qi Yuan prided himself on always repaying kindness.
"It was here that I comprehended 'All Living Beings Are Me.' In truth... that served as a foundation for my Samsara."
Qi Yuan's Samsara to counter Returning to Nothingness was built on knowing all things and understanding everything in the world.
'All Living Beings Are Me' was one of those lives.
"Unfortunately, 'All Living Beings Are Me' still had its flaws. Back then, I was far too weak.
"In that battle, everyone sacrificed themselves, just like selling low-cost cards in Teamfight Tactics just to hit my three-star five-cost unit.
"Even though I used 'All Living Beings Are Me' to revive them and turn them into my Divine Infants, Venerable Tianbao died so early that what revived in my Divine Infant was merely his memory.
"Now... I can truly remember him, along with... many other people, many other NPCs."
Back then, in the communication group, Venerable Tianbao had realized he was facing mortal danger and had little time left.
He had wished to bestow the treasure needed to break through to True God upon Qi Yuan.
He and Venerable Tianbao had never met; that single exchange was their only interaction.
Later, the sky blazed with blinding brilliance as a pillar of light illuminated the night. Qi Yuan learned of Venerable Tianbao's death, and met his granddaughter, Wang Wenqi, who delivered the treasure to achieve True Godhood.
After a long silence, Qi Yuan fell into deep thought.
"Should I go meet... Ancient God Yuan? Could she be an old friend from my homeland, Genshin?"
Qi Yuan mulled it over and ultimately decided against it.
He raised his head, gazing across the river of time, and seemed to see the swaying Heavenly Pillar.
The Heavenly Pillar was the spine of the Mortal Heart Realm.
"It's time... to meet her."
Qi Yuan recalled his three encounters with the Holy Mother of No Food, feeling a surge of emotion.
In Wu Shi's timeline, the first little Wu Shi had been weak, pitiable, and helpless.
The second time he saw Wu Shi, she had uncovered the truth. She understood why she, possessing both the Devouring Primordial Physique and the Innate Primordial Physique, could eat fish—because she was consuming Qi Yuan's blood.
At that time, with the traits of her Devouring Primordial Physique and her immense power, she could have reached across spacetime to devour a part of Qi Yuan if she had struck. Yet in the end, she had held back.
The hunger intrinsic to that constitution was something ordinary people could never suppress or control.
During their final meeting, she had even shared a meal with Qi Yuan, eating ordinary fish.
Back then, Qi Yuan hadn't understood why she chewed so slowly and carefully. Was she afraid of fish bones?
Only now did he realize she had been enduring excruciating agony.
She had been telling Qi Yuan that her strength did not rely entirely on her constitution; she had triumphed over the desires it imposed upon her.
She had chosen not to eat him.
"It really is time to see her."
Thinking of Wu Shi, Qi Yuan also recalled the aloof, white-robed woman from Yunmeng Palace, as well as the eccentric, spirited young girl Wu Shi from the Tuwu Great Realm.
Half a breath later, a graceful silhouette materialized behind Qi Yuan.
The woman was cold as frost, solitary as falling snow, with a trace of turbidity lingering in the corners of her eyes. It seemed she had stayed too long in the Abandoned Lands, besieged by fractured spacetime and the Curse of Sinking.
Or perhaps her vision had been clouded by hatred.
She stared blankly at Qi Yuan, her voice hoarse.
"Should I call you Teacher, or disciple?"
"Or perhaps... Master?"
A self-deprecating chuckle carried a hint of grievance.
***
Gongxing.
The robot Lingyi stood beside Qi Yuan, cradling a cat in its arms.
"All Daos are composed of zeroes and ones. Lingyi, what you said is quite true."
"Games are made of zeroes and ones. Reality is merely a massive game as well."
"If Returning to Nothingness is zero, representing void, then my Samsara is one, representing existence."
"Master, what level of computer certification did you pass?"
"Ahem, that topic isn't important. Do those programmers understand zeroes and ones better than me? Do they understand games better than me? Or do they understand creating worlds better than me?"
"They probably cannot compare to you." Lingyi's voice remained flat and mechanical. It turned its head toward a black-robed man standing ahead. "Do you think if the Luo family and Chen family hadn't been wiped out, he would still have insisted on seeking death?"
"Probably not. Back then... his heart was likely completely broken by grief."
"Would you like me to package this world and send it to you, Master?"
"Forget it, don't. I still have to respect their privacy!"
"Sigh, Samsara is too hard."
"The myriad realms... really need some family planning. Otherwise, how long will it take me to walk through them all, know all things, and forge Samsara?"
"Hey, stone! Do you want to enter my Samsara? But before you enter, your privacy might be slightly exposed. I might see images of you bathing naked, you know?"
"Hey, why aren't you speaking? Are you shy?"
"Don't worry, I'm very humane. I'll delete those memories!"
"Otherwise, with so many memories, I'll run out of memory and lag, which would be terrible."
"This stone doesn't understand human speech. Junior Sister is still the best—wealthy and beautiful."
"Right, I should go ask Junior Sister's money whether it wants to enter my Samsara."
"Junior Sister's money is probably very well-behaved."
***
Within the Divine Wood Universe.
"Heitian exists in the past and the future, but never in the present."
"Am I... currently in the past?"
Across the vast Divine Wood Universe, Qi Yuan walked for an exceptionally long time.
Through different timelines and distinct temporal nodes.
He saw many people, including Chen Kangbao.
Yet Shen Lingxuan, the blind maiden, and his master Ruan Yixi eluded him entirely.
He understood that Shen Lingxuan was a Mandate Bearer, formed from a wisp of obsession born of the Ancient Qi Toon Tree.
To some extent, she was a part of his master.
"A Yang Four exists in the past and future... Is that why even the current me cannot meet her?"
Qi Yuan felt somewhat adrift.
Back then, when he clashed with Heitian, they had fought across spacetime without ever meeting face-to-face.
His master, Ruan Yixi, was an obsession-born lifeform derived from the Yang Four Ancient Qi Toon Tree.
Her existence was different from ordinary Yang Four beings.
An ordinary Yang Four had no true spirit and escaped into the past and future; only when solidifying into the second stage of Yang Four did they exist in the present.
Yet she was born from a Yang Four that had escaped into the past and future.
In all the myriad realms, hers was the sole case.
Had it not been for Qi Yuan's special ability, she would never have birthed sentience.
Thus, she could only exist in the past and the future.
"The Samsara I desire is one without regrets, a perfection that heals all unfulfilled yearnings."
"Right now, I am still too weak," Qi Yuan lamented.
To see his master, his comprehension of 'Escape' had to surpass Escape itself.
Furthermore, his Dao of Samsara needed to advance a major step forward.
"The Divine Wood Universe was born because of you. Every blade of grass and tree here, every cycle of flourishing and withering, bears the traces of your existence."
"Know all things, enter Samsara."
At this moment, Qi Yuan became a solitary traveler.
Across different timelines, he walked every corner of the Divine Wood Universe.
He seemed to hear his own whispers recounting the tales of *Journey to the West* and *The Eastern Chamber*.
He seemed to see an Ancient Qi Toon Tree standing alone amid the primordial chaos.
Clouds drifted and rain fell, yet she could not hear the pattering drops; she could only hear the voice of one person.
In the wild mountains, solitary yellow roots bloomed, with no one to share the sight—until someone came to describe countless splendors to her.
The thunder in the sky fell silent intentionally, as though unwilling to converse with her, but fortunately, she had someone to whom she could pour out her heart.
In the damp marshlands, mugwort and cockleburs flourished beautifully. She could not behold them, yet she seemed to wait in quiet anticipation.
"Know all things, comprehend all living beings, master Samsara."
"Master, I still know far too little about you."
He traversed the entire Divine Wood Universe.
He saw the flowers, grass, and trees; the insects, fish, birds, and beasts; the clouds, thunder, stones, and iron.
Yet his understanding of his master remained stubbornly limited.
He possessed Stillness and Samsara, and though he could traverse spacetime, he could never touch the traces of his master.
He could only catch fleeting images and hear fragmented phrases:
"Hey, who are you? What's your name?"
"Qi Yuan?"
"Then should I be called Yuan Qi?"
"Hmm... that's not good. Yuan Qi?"
"Ruan Yixi."
"I want to open my seven orifices."
"Who am I?"
"Who are you, and what is your name?"
"You don't remember?"
"No name?"
"Then I'll call you..."
"Little Blood?"
"Little Robe?"
"Blood Robe!"
"Let's get divorced!"
"Snuggle."
...
"Hey... were my eyes given to me by you?"
Countless whispers, murmurs, and fragmented images flooded his eyes and ears.
Qi Yuan felt as though he could reach out and touch them.
Yet he remained forever just out of reach.
"What is Samsara... still missing?" Qi Yuan murmured.
He did not know how long he walked, losing all track of time as he stepped out of the Divine Wood Universe.
He seemed like a madman, like an eccentric, like a cultivator cursed with a failing memory.
He shuttled between past and future, yet simultaneously existed in the present.
He came to know all things and understand all things, gradually perfecting Samsara step by step.
"I forgot—I'm still missing a sword."
"The Sword of Oblivion."
The Sword of Oblivion had been formed from his Yang Four, forged by the Wealthy Dao God and the Sword Disciple.
This blade could sever the Curse of Sinking.
It could excise extraneous memories.
The myriad things of the world and the myriad things across countless timelines were far too numerous, harboring infinite possibilities.
"The Great Oblivion Heart Scripture cannot forget."
"What about the Sword of Oblivion?"
"I do not exist in the present, nor do I come from the present; I dwell in the past and the future."
"What if I temporarily sever all clamorous memories, preserving solely those concerning Master?"
He seemed to have discovered something.
"It has become purer."
"So... this is the Dao of Escape."
"Are these the past and future of Escape?"
"Does the current me... count as Yang Six?"
"Shall I keep walking?"
The Dao of Samsara expanded ceaselessly as Qi Yuan pressed forward in solitude.
His strength and cultivation realm soared without pause.
He knew no exhaustion, felt no weariness, wandering endlessly beyond the boundaries of the timelines.
His might and realm climbed higher and higher.
First, he surpassed Escape. Later, he surpassed the Heavenly Emperor, and then surpassed Stillness.
More and more Yang Six beings were left in his wake.
He seemed to draw closer and closer to Returning to Nothingness.
One day, his steps grew weary, his legs grew sore, and he felt a pang of loneliness.
After all, he was merely an ordinary man who took care to step around ants; it was only natural for him to feel lonely.
"Together with you in the same robe."
At that moment, Xiao Jia appeared, draped in her red bridal gown. She said, "Qi Yuan, I am Xiao Jia!"
"Snuggle."
This time, it was not written on a wooden board.
Chapter 633