Night fell, yet inside the Five Elements Forbidden Ground it remained as bright as day.
A colossal black cloud crept across the firmament, encroaching upon the full moon.
The one-day deadline had arrived.
Long Pan rose, his voice thick and booming. "Since he hasn't arrived, we go on ahead. Perhaps the Master of the Robe Division will catch up."
Most of the crowd remained silent upon hearing this.
Only the man who had spoken sarcastically earlier muttered, "Never underestimate the cowardice of men."
Zanghua glared at him again, and the man shrank his neck back.
Xiao Lü stood among the crowd, her expression cold, lost in thought.
At that moment, Tong turned to Yu. "Before this battle, how about a divination?"
All fifty-two individuals present turned their eyes toward Yu.
Yu was the most skilled among them in divination—his art was peerless.
"Very well," Yu replied, sparing his words as always.
As the sound of his voice faded, feathers shed continuously from his feathered robe and drifted into the air.
Yu reached out a hand, holding it suspended in the air.
The feathers fluttered until, at last, a single feather settled into his palm.
Everyone watched him intently.
Outspoken and direct, Zanghua asked, "What does the omen say?"
Yu stared at the feather, his expression unchanged. "Ten deaths and no life—certain doom."
The atmosphere grew heavy upon his words.
"Still certain doom?" The disappointment on one elderly man's face was unmistakable.
The Flower Burial Fairy said coldly and proudly, "Even if it means certain death, we must still knock out a few teeth from those extraterrestrial demons!"
The sarcastic man's eyes also took on a look of easy defiance. "Spending my days in idle failure is meaningless; far better to end this life slaying demons!"
"This old man's bones have rusted from staying in the forbidden ground for so long. It's time to stretch them."
"The Demon Slaying Assembly is not for common mortals, but for ourselves!" a one-armed powerhouse said in a low voice.
His wife had been fished away by the extraterrestrial demons. Back then, he had clung tightly to her, refusing to let go, and only survived because a Divine Domain expert severed his arm.
"Why be so downcast? Man can conquer nature," Tong said, looking at the assembly. "Refine the Black Turtle Shells. In half a day, we depart together."
Each person present held a piece of Black Turtle Shell—a supreme treasure of defense that, once refined, could help withstand the extraterrestrial demons' attacks.
Furthermore, refining them now would merge their powers into a unified array.
Xiao Lü silently refined her Black Turtle Shell, recalling what she had told the Master of the Robe Division that day:
*If you fail to slay the extraterrestrial demons, I won't let you off for all eternity!*
……
In the Moon Dynasty.
A massive sacrificial platform rose into the air.
Standing seven zhang and seven chi high, the platform had been painstakingly constructed by the Moon Dynasty over thirty years.
Standing atop it, one felt as though they could reach out and pluck the stars or grasp the moon.
This altar was also known as the Moon Chasing Tower.
At this moment, the portent of the Heavenly Dog devouring the moon spread across the sky.
The entire mortal realm seemed poised to plunge into darkness.
Over a thousand young women prostrated themselves on the ground, heads bowed, chanting in low murmurs.
Upon the Moon Chasing Tower, twelve newly appointed priestesses were dancing.
The moon was the foundation of the Moon Dynasty, the god they worshiped.
To the Moon Dynasty, the Heavenly Dog devouring the moon was nothing short of a catastrophe.
Meanwhile, a thousand meters away, a small figure watched the God-Worshiping Platform, a complicated look flitting through her eyes. "Three hundred years."
Three hundred years had passed since Mister departed.
Three hundred years flowed by like water.
She looked up toward the nearby lake, a lonely gaze settling in her eyes.
A crisp voice sounded from behind her. "Giving away your moon crest so casually... I'm afraid you won't survive this Heavenly Dog devouring the moon. You can only sink into the mortal dust."
The speaker was someone who, like Yue Nü, had also served as the first-generation saintess of the Moon Sovereign Clan.
Yue Nü stood in place, the moon within her pupils in the shape of a crescent.
She offered no reply to the woman's words; silence was her answer.
Back then, if not for Mister, she would have died at the hands of the Hundred Cities Alliance.
How could she ever have lived to see the Heavenly Dog devour the moon?
Back then, she had merely been a sacrificial pawn.
Seeing that Yue Nü remained silent, the crisp voice suddenly sighed with emotion. "Me, and even the Moon Sovereign... haven't we all sunk into ruin?"
……
Within Dijue, Qi Yuan's injuries had reached their absolute limit.
He sat half-slumped on the ground, leaning against the massive gate, still barring the passage, panting heavily.
Over these days in Dijue, he had wiped out every single extraterrestrial demon.
Those demons had wanted to die peacefully of old age? Too bad—Qi Yuan had sent them to their graves ahead of time.
Now, Dijue was utterly empty; every extraterrestrial demon had been slain by Qi Yuan.
He sat where he was, unable to move his body. His wounds were far too severe, and blood still dripped slowly from his flesh.
In the vast expanse of Dijue, the only sounds were Qi Yuan's ragged breaths and the dripping of blood.
"As expected of the one I chose," a mechanical, cold voice suddenly spoke.
The golden-armored man who had previously fallen appeared before Qi Yuan at an unknown moment. His massive form strode forward, armor clinking with every step.
Unlike before, his eyes were now milky white, exuding an inexplicable, bone-chilling aura.
Sitting where he was, Qi Yuan wore a helpless expression. "I knew the plot wasn't over yet. See? The true mastermind behind the scenes couldn't wait to show himself."
"You aren't surprised?" A flicker of astonishment crossed the eyes of the golden-armored man—the former Heavenly God. "No matter. It doesn't change anything."
Covered in blood, Qi Yuan looked at the golden-armored man and said, "For a dignified mastermind behind the curtain, what kind of skill is hiding inside my late father-in-law's body?
"Show your true self. My itch to farm a boss is acting up."
Hearing this, the white-eyed golden-armored man showed no emotional color, though his tone was full of marvel: "I once believed I could only drag out an ignoble existence for the rest of my days.
"Never did I imagine that within the Five Elements Forbidden Ground, I would discover you.
"What a marvelous body. What terrifying talent.
"In merely a few months, you broke through from the early Divine Domain to the peak of the Divine Domain in this realm.
"Such a vessel should not wander outside. It is a reward bestowed upon me by the heavens."
His voice was filled with extreme greed, like an ancient fiend that had been starved for ten thousand years.
Clutching his great sword, Qi Yuan listened to the man's covetous words. "Looks like I'm definitely destined to be an old-man slayer."
With that, he aimed his sword directly at the golden-armored man.
*Slash!*
A flash of sword light tore through the air, and the golden-armored man's massive form was cleaved apart, shattering into seven or eight pieces.
The greedy voice echoed in the air: "Futile. What you killed is merely a puppet; it cannot harm me in the slightest.
"And you are just a Divine Domain cultivator—not even a true peak Divine Domain, having never touched the Origin.
"Resistance is meaningless. Be obedient, and I shall inherit your memories, inherit your flesh, and walk out of Dijue."
"Old bastard, did you practice the Daytime Fantasy Art until your brain rotted? You actually want to possess me?"
The greedy voice paused briefly before chuckling, "So that slut told you. Haha, what does it matter if she did? I set my sights on your body long ago.
"Do you remember the Divine Reflections of the Five Elements Forbidden Ground and the Yin-Yang Forbidden Ground?
"With just a few casual tricks, I influenced their decisions.
"The Divine Reflections of all fifty-three Divine Domain experts bear my traces.
"Now, your mind and your thoughts are already entirely mine!
"My thoughts will spread through your mind, constantly expanding to seize your consciousness and devour your body."
This had been his scheme.
Originally, he merely wanted to incite the Demon Slaying Assembly to devour those Divine Domain experts and replenish some nourishment.
He had never expected to encounter an extraordinary prodigy like Qi Yuan in this world.
It was heaven's pity upon him.
As he spoke, his voice gradually began resounding directly inside Qi Yuan's mind.
Hearing this, Qi Yuan didn't care in the slightest. "To be honest, Great Sun, as a boss, you're even easier to deal with than those extraterrestrial demons."
Back in the Five Elements Forbidden Ground, Qi Yuan had entered the abyss of the core region and seen the Quicksand of the Five Elements.
He had also seen the Glory of the Great Sun.
When his hand touched the Glory of the Great Sun, he had glimpsed several remnant thoughts belonging to Great Sun.
He had heard Great Sun cursing the extraterrestrial demons.
He had heard Great Sun howling in agony like a stray dog.
At first, Qi Yuan had assumed Great Sun was the Heavenly God, believing he had fallen in battle against the extraterrestrial demons.
Yet the moment he encountered the extraterrestrial demons, Qi Yuan became completely certain that the 'extraterrestrial demons' Great Sun spoke of were not those old men at all.
It was someone else entirely.
Priestess July had once told him that the Wangyue Continent had formerly been named the Bairi Continent.
Back then, a suspicion had already taken root in Qi Yuan's heart.
Tianjue's Ascension Platform, and the phantom of that Level 119 golden-armored divine general under Great Sun's banner...
Every single clue had connected in Qi Yuan's mind.
Great Sun had once been the ruler of this world, defeated by an outside enemy.
He had clung to an ignoble existence, inviting the extraterrestrial demons to ravage this world.
And now, he had set his sights on Qi Yuan.
"Those old men could still hurt me, but you... you can't." Contempt filled Qi Yuan's eyes. "A big boss who caps the maximum NPC level in this world at Level 99 is just too cowardly. You don't have the overbearing aura to dominate the ages. On television, you'd only pass as a third-rate villain."
As if Qi Yuan's words had stepped on his sore spot, Great Sun's voice cracked with rage.
"All you can do is run your mouth! The countless memories of the Divine Reflections have already influenced you.
"Soon, I will replace you and become you!"
"Heh," Qi Yuan sneered. "Back when I was watching *Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit*, you were probably still playing in the mud.
"Do you know how many games I've played? How many TV shows and anime I've watched? You think this junk can shake my mind?
"Playing a game and reading an NPC's character bio is supposed to influence my consciousness and let a game character hijack my brain?
"You're hilarious. I think you've played too many games—seawater must have flooded your skull."
Of course, Qi Yuan was exaggerating a bit.
Those people's memories had indeed affected him.
When he saw the countless corpses hanging beneath the Ancient Qi Toon Tree, he had fallen silent for a moment.
Yet he had quickly moved past it.
He was only playing a game.
Why get so invested and lose himself in it?
Every time he logged off, he cleared his cache.
"Does spouting all this nonsense change your end?
"You have no idea... of the chasm between you and me!
"You haven't even stepped beyond the Divine Domain, so how can you stand against me?"
Great Sun's voice was vast and thunderous.
At his peak, he had been the true master of the Bairi Continent.
A single word from him could establish the world's laws.
Upon Tianjue, he had built a colosseum to watch countless geniuses do battle, inviting cultivators from various realms to spectate.
The victorious genius would ultimately become a part of him.
Cultivating the Daytime Fantasy Art, he possessed great ambition, but his nature was dark and scheming.
Fearing that someone might secretly break through beyond the Divine Domain, he had laid down a rule.
In Qi Yuan's view, that rule was that the people of this world could not surpass Level 99 to reach Level 100.
Because once they reached Level 100, they might touch the Origin, leading to matters beyond Great Sun's control.
"Now, you can only become my puppet, become my flesh, and fulfill me!"
Great Sun roared madly.
At that moment, an overwhelming spiritual force washed over Qi Yuan's mind.
This colossal mental force was stronger than anything Qi Yuan had ever encountered.
Even the combined memories of all fifty-two Divine Domain powerhouses didn't amount to a fraction of it.
Countless streams of information spread out as Great Sun initiated the possession.
Drenched in blood, Qi Yuan sat where he was, cradling his sword.
Confronted by this oceanic assault, the corners of his mouth curled into a smile.
"Great Sun, you really are a qualified old mentor figure.
"You ask how I can stop you?
"I achieved Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment—how can you stop me?
"You want to possess me?
"Wrong. I'm going to swallow you!"
Great Sun was merely the strongest being of this world.
Meanwhile, Qi Yuan, constantly injured while battling the extraterrestrial demons, had fought relentlessly.
Through those life-and-death struggles, he had also comprehended a sliver of the true essence of death.
The Heavenly Dao fragment of the Yin-Yang Forbidden Ground had fallen into his hands.
And after slaughtering every last extraterrestrial demon, he had obtained Dijue's Heavenly Dao fragment as well.
Now, Qi Yuan had gathered all the Heavenly Dao fragments.
Great Sun merely viewed Qi Yuan as a rare prodigy, assuming his progress came from rapid breakthroughs mid-battle.
How could he ever imagine that with every minor mob Qi Yuan killed, he gained EXP to level up?
Still less could he fathom that by clearing the forbidden grounds, Qi Yuan obtained fragments of the Heavenly Dao.
That was the Heavenly Dao of an entire realm—something even Great Sun would never dare covet.
As Qi Yuan's voice faded, he closed his eyes.
The imagery inside his mind spun continuously.
A great sun shone upon the earth.
Across a boundless world, all living things sprang to life.
Qi Yuan's consciousness hung suspended high in the heavens.
He felt like a satellite, or perhaps the eye of the continent, looking down upon this world.
He saw demon tribes crawl out from the azure sea, and humans emerge in rags from deep mountains.
He saw hundreds of races clashing for supremacy, demons tearing mountains apart in endless strife.
He saw human tribes at war, where the chieftain of a grand tribe riding an iron-eating beast was decapitated by a single sword strike!
He saw myriads of demons devouring each other, a peerless behemoth writhing its body, parching three thousand li of land.
He saw flowers bloom and wither, glaciers melt, celestial maidens bathe, and monkeys relieve themselves.
He also saw a boulder absorb the essence of the sun and moon, eventually bursting open to transform into a humanoid being.
This humanoid being was born sacred, his words commanding reality, the darling of the world.
When he walked to the river to drink, a ten-thousand-year immortal fruit floated toward him.
When he slept on the ground, a suit of armor fell beside him.
His cultivation advanced far beyond ordinary mortals.
He was like the favored child of heaven.
In merely a few thousand years, the humanoid being became the ruler of this realm, slaying every major demon powerhouse and human sovereign.
Countless memories unfurled.
Qi Yuan watched the humanoid being conquer all directions.
Nearly his entire vision was filled with this towering figure.
He became somewhat mesmerized, feeling himself projecting into the scene, imagining that he was that humanoid being stirring up endless storms of blood across the world.
Suddenly, Qi Yuan cursed, "Gifting women? And rape? You're inferior even to Long Aotian!
"I've read too much Long Aotian crap. This brat acts way too smug. I need to change my palate."
He stopped paying attention to the humanoid being.
He watched mothers-in-law bickering with daughters-in-law, ants hauling grains of rice, and hermaphroditic creatures mating.
He took in the entirety of this realm.
Possessing the Heavenly Dao fragments, his perspective was not confined to the humanoid being.
Otherwise, his mind would have been flooded solely with the humanoid being's life.
Not as a third-person observer, but through the primary viewpoint.
Eventually, assimilated across endless ages, he would have become Great Sun.
That was Great Sun's scheme.
Unfortunately, Great Sun had no idea that Qi Yuan had already assembled the complete Heavenly Dao.
Right now, he *was* the Heavenly Dao.
Looking across the world, Qi Yuan was like a player watching a realm's worldbuilding and lore introduction.
At times he immersed himself; at times he complained about bugs.
He lost track of how much time passed.
The humanoid being that Qi Yuan had ignored suddenly let out a shriek.
"No!
"Why won't you look at me?!
"I am your everything!
"I am you!"
Like a water-filled balloon punctured by a needle, the humanoid being shattered, turning into a fragment within Qi Yuan's mind.
Unaware of this, Qi Yuan continued roaming through the world.
This world was vast, with so much left to see.
……
Inside Dijue, Qi Yuan sat on the steps with his eyes closed, sword still gripped firmly in hand.
Suddenly, a radiance dazzling like the sun flared within the vast expanse of Dijue.
White light flooded the entire cavernous realm.
A furious roar echoed out:
"Just who are you?!
"I will... kill you!"
The invading divine soul had dissolved, and a massive boulder materialized within Dijue.
White flames blazed across the stone.
Its white radiance illuminated every corner of Dijue.
That was Great Sun's sole remaining true body.
The enormous boulder exuded an aura far surpassing the Divine Domain, so powerful that space itself seemed to tremble.
With a single bellow, the question "Just who are you?" echoed throughout the whole of Dijue.
"Rebellious son, I am your father!" Qi Yuan suddenly opened his eyes.
Looking at the colossal stone, his face was full of disgust. "I take that back. I don't have an ugly son like you."
Although Qi Yuan had obtained the complete Heavenly Dao, making Great Sun technically something like his offspring, Qi Yuan had no desire to acknowledge him.
Too humiliating.
"You deserve to die!
"I don't know how you obliterated my remnant thoughts!
"But in this world, where you cannot break past the Divine Domain, you can only die!
"It's all because of you, all because of you! Why couldn't you just die quietly?!
"You forced my hand!"
Great Sun howled in agony and frenzy.
Failing the possession meant he could only continue clinging to life as a wreck.
Though he was currently gravely wounded, near death, and unable to exert even a fraction of his true power, he was still the strongest existence in this realm.
Only because there was no true danger did his true body dare to appear.
"Die!"
Incandescent white light surged toward Qi Yuan—power comparable to the Origin itself.
Seeing this, Qi Yuan murmured, "Suddenly, I feel like those extraterrestrial demons had a point. One really should observe filial piety."
Yet facing Great Sun's strongest strike, the corners of Qi Yuan's mouth curled into a smile once more.
In his heart, he gave a quiet command:
*Level up.*
Chapter 79