An admission ticket!
Nora was stunned into a daze by this revelation.
She knew about Transcenders, Origin Returners, Unity Returners, and Perfect Ones.
In fact, on the night Little Salty Fish had slept beside her, he had even explained to her how one became the latter three.
If Gu Tiansheng was not lying, then whoever possessed the Calamity Origin would become a target for everyone—yet would also gain the opportunity to become an Origin Returner.
"Sigh. This old man didn't want to say anything at first. After all, matters succeed through secrecy, and once spoken aloud, it ceases to be a secret. Little girl, if you have your sights set on becoming an Origin Returner, you'd better leave quickly with this Calamity Origin," Gu Tiansheng sighed.
His heart ached.
It was agonizing.
It ached so fiercely it felt like it was snapping into pieces.
Gu Tiansheng maintained a serene, impassive expression on his face, but inwardly he was heartbroken.
Yet he knew very well he had no chance. The moment Nora appeared, Tanabo's corpse had already become claimed property. As the one who had slain Tanabo, everything Tanabo possessed was Nora's spoils of war.
Without Nora's nod, he could not take the slightest scrap of Tanabo's remains.
The Junk Dao didn't just offer benefits without drawbacks. Its disadvantage was that Gu Tiansheng could only obtain things gifted by others or discarded by others.
He was forbidden from snatching what belonged to others; otherwise, it would no longer be the Junk Dao, but the Dao of Robbers.
This was why he said the Junk Dao occupied the lowest point of all things. Despite having formidable combat prowess, he could only use it for self-defense; despite having the capability to seize everything, he could only scavenge scraps.
Both the advantages and disadvantages were glaringly obvious.
However, having chosen this path, Gu Tiansheng had no intention of turning back. Even though his heart ached so badly it was hard to breathe, he harbored no further designs on the Calamity Origin, and had even shared the secret he had just sensed with Nora.
"Thank you!"
Nora could tell Gu Tiansheng was not lying.
Furthermore, this secret was monumental. The moment Gu Tiansheng voiced it, the situation shifted.
There was no wall that didn't let through wind; certain Mighty Ones had specifically developed abilities to perceive designated terms. If anyone across the myriad worlds uttered those words, they would immediately detect it.
Now, countless Mighty Ones across the Tree Universe would likely join the fray solely to contest the Calamity Origin.
Manipulating her bullet, Nora instantly drew Tanabo's corpse into it and swiftly returned to the Aska.
***
The Yin Red World.
This was a world where the Yin Nether Ghost Dao held sway.
Inside the Yin Imperial Palace, countless vicious ghosts carried hearts, livers, spleens, lungs, and kidneys in orderly fashion, attending to a man clad in red robes.
The man's complexion was ghastly pale, save for his lips, which were as crimson as blood. Pinching a piece of fresh, scarlet liver with his long fingernails, his mouth slowly tore open to the base of his neck, and he swallowed the liver in a single gulp.
Suddenly, he sensed something. Closing his eyes, he cocked his ear to listen.
"An opportunity for the Dao of Calamity has arrived?"
"Whoever wields the Calamity Origin has the chance to compete to become an Origin Returner?"
"Hahahahahahahahaha! The chance has come! The chance for me, the King of Yin Red, has arrived!"
The man sprang to his feet in excitement, letting loose a wild laugh. His tongue was extraordinarily long, and his mouth split open all the way down to his navel from his hysterical laughter, revealing the lengthy tongue writhing within.
The King of Yin Red, a Ghost Race Mighty One, cultivated the *Yin Sky Earth-Corroding Huangquan Great Method*. The entire Yin Red World was his plaything. The human realm within it had not been wiped out solely because of his lust—he needed humans to breed more beautiful female ghosts for him!
Yet nothing in the Yin Red World mattered anymore. The only priority was seizing the Calamity Origin. If Gu Tiansheng's words were true, this might very well be the sole chance in this era to become an Origin Returner.
Legends told that every era concealed diverse opportunities to become a Transcender, Origin Returner, or Unity Returner. Each time, the conditions differed, and only those who seized the moment could ever hope to attain such heights.
Yin Red felt his time had come.
In the next instant, the entire world was swallowed by Yin Red ghostly power. Having devoured everything in this world, the King of Yin Red dissolved into billowing red mist and departed to search for the Calamity Origin.
***
In a certain world, at the Great Thunderclap Temple.
The Tathagata had been watching Tang Sanzang and his disciples with a faint smile, but suddenly, as if hearing something, his smile vanished.
The numerous arhats and bodhisattvas present noticed something was amiss with the Tathagata.
Yet none dared disturb him, exchanging wary glances among themselves. Sun Wukong, unable to contain his impatience, spoke up, "Tathagata... Lord Buddha?"
"Hehehehe... wrong, all wrong. It seems this old man was mistaken," the Tathagata suddenly chuckled.
Everyone present realized something was wrong with him. The Tathagata smiled and said, "There is no need to panic. You are doomed to die either way, so you might as well die understanding why."
"Old Man Tathagata, what do you mean by that? My master and the four of us endured endless hardships and eighty-one tribulations to sincerely seek the true—" Sun Wukong was the first to bristle.
With an unchanged expression, the Tathagata struck Sun Wukong dead with a single palm.
Literally swatted him dead.
Everyone present was struck speechless with shock.
It was not that the Tathagata lacked the strength to swat Sun Wukong to death.
Rather, why would he do such a thing?
The Tathagata smiled warmly. "Now that the chattering monkey is dealt with, I shall explain it to you slowly."
As he spoke, he reverted from the form of the Tathagata back to his true appearance—a hulking black goat demon with two horns atop its head.
Evidently, this creature had killed the real Tathagata long ago and was merely playing roleplay here.
The Black Goat said, "I originally intended to comprehend Buddhist principles through this world to balance good and evil and attain perfection in the Dao of Yin and Yang. Unfortunately, just now, I heard some news."
"..."
Around him, the arhats and bodhisattvas all grew uneasy.
The Black Goat grinned. "It turns out the Dao has already manifested! What we must do is not sit in dry meditation, but contend for that Calamity Origin and become the Calamity Dao Master!"
The next moment, the lotus upon which he sat turned from gold to black. Billowing demonic energy erupted, refining all the surrounding arhats and bodhisattvas in an instant. Tang Sanzang and the others could not escape this catastrophe either.
***
Mount Qingfeng.
Tianjianzi snapped his eyes open.
He rose slowly from his cross-legged posture and muttered to himself, "The Dao of Calamity shares affinity with my sword. It seems it is time I made a journey as well."
From a nearby snow-capped peak, astonishing blade intent erupted at the same time.
Tianjianzi sighed. Evidently, his old rival and old friend had received word too.
"I thought the birth of you and me marked this world's age of great contention. Who knew that now is the true age of contention? Across the myriad worlds, countless heroes and titans—let us slaughter one another for that single glimmer of opportunity to attain the Dao!" A wild roar of laughter echoed from the snowy mountain. The next instant, a wild-looking man with red hair soared into the sky, bellowing loudly.
This was Tianjianzi's good friend, the Blade Heavenly Emperor.
The two had dwelt in seclusion in this world for hundreds of billions of years, regularly sparring to gauge whether they had made any progress.
It could be said they were the closest of friends, as well as the rivals who knew each other best.
There was no need to ask; both knew they would vie for it. And this time, it would no longer be a friendly spar, but a battle to the death. Yet that clash would not happen now—it would wait until the very end.
Whoever emerged victorious would become an Origin Returner!
Chapter 683