Chapter 1324: Ancient Immortal Tribulation... Passed!

Beyond Revered Ancient, at the line of demarcation, Xu Qing held a seven-colored lamp as he hovered in the starry sky. In front of him was a vast, boundless universe. Behind him was the Revered Ancient mainland, encircled by Eminent Desolation.

He was at the line of demarcation, his gaze sharp and cold. He lifted the lamp in his hand.

“Furthermore, all of the pawns you people set up in Revered Ancient will leave immediately! Those who do not will be extracted by me, one by one!’

Xu Qing’s voice echoed out like ripples on a pond. That voice contained the godhood of fate from his god clone, as well as the authority of fate, which was now part of the natural laws of the Ninth Star Ring. He also used the power of his canon and statute, and the methods of ontology, to spread his perception through past, present, and future, as well as all parallels. That included all living things.

The lamp in his hand conformed perfectly, and shone with dazzling light. Countless streams of divine will spread through various space-times, converging on Xu Qing and then gathering on the lamp.

The lamp was made from special clay, and was covered with natural striations, within which flowed mysterious light. The exterior lampshade was made of interwoven, seven-colored spirit threads that flowed, glistening, like a dream or illusion. It was like the convergence of all the dazzling glory of the many heavens and sundry worlds.

The lamp was the Immortal Paragon’s precious treasure, given to Xu Qing by Grandmaster Bai on the eve of his departure from the Fifth Star Ring. The terrifying aspect of it was the wick within the lampshade!

It was the eye of a God Paragon! It was horrifyingly mighty, and as soon as it sensed the various streams of divine will on the outside, the eye glittered. That glittering caused the godhood of a God Paragon to spread out.

It was entropy! So-called entropy was the process all things went through, a transformation from order into chaos. And that godly authority could add or subtract from all things to change them. As the power of the God Paragon swept out, ninety-nine percent of the streams of divine will shattered. Countless shrieks and howls echoed out into the void.

Face expressionless, Xu Qing kept the lamp in hand as he turned and made his way back toward Revered Ancient.

Lamplight flickered around him in the darkness of the universe. As he strode forward, the powerful experts of the Ninth Star Ring saw him like a heavenly flame in the night! He was dazzling and astonishing.

Waves crashed on the surface of the golden river that flowed in the universe in the north of the star ring. Inside the river, huge golden eyes opened. All of them were looking toward Revered Ancient, at Xu Qing. The eyes were all cold.

Within the waves were many multi-colored lotuses, atop which sat a host of blurry figures. They seemed to be waiting for the divine utterances of the mother river. Most of the lotuses were five-colored. Some, though not as numerous, were six-colored, with even fewer being seven-colored. There were only four that were eight-colored.

In one of the eight-colored lotuses, the god of wishes looked up, eyes gleaming with golden light.

Eventually, as all the gods there waited, the mother river’s eyes all closed. The surface of the water calmed. However... shē did not sever hēr connection with hēr pawn in Revered Ancient!

Similar things happened in the universe in the east of the star ring. There was no starlight in the east, nor were there any planets. There was just a dark void. Neither sound nor color existed there. There was only an endless curse, filling the void, having been accumulating for aeons.

In the depths of that voice, where the curse originated, was the dwelling place of an indescribable beast. At the moment, hīs eyes were closed, but the curse surrounding hīm was active.

In the south of the Ninth Star Ring was a black tower, out of which emanated the chanting of gods. The sound was difficult to describe, and did not carry inherent meaning. It was more like a resonance that existed between countless gods. Within the sound were numerous strands that connected to the Revered Ancient mainland. Every single one was a manifestation of the machinations of the black tower. From ancient times until now, īt had placed many pawns into place in Revered Ancient.

But now, the threads began to tremble. An instant later, they exploded. At the ends of the threads were many illusory figures, including humans, nonhumans, magical treasure and items. Īt was now severing karma with all such things. The choice of the black pagoda differed from that of the mother river or the giant beast. Īt was choosing to give up.

Among the many figures visible, astonishingly, was... Xu Qing’s Third Elder Brother!

Other than Eminent Desolation, Revered Ancient actually had four God Paragons. The mother river, the huge beast, and the black pagoda had made their choices already. The only one who had not was the paper person seated cross-legged in the west of the star ring.

However, inside the paper person were endless universes and unending planets. Within them were an infinitude of paper people, all of whom floated up and began to gather in the middle of the universe.

“Things are different between him and me.... There’s no backing down!” A voice like crumpling paper echoed out as the gathering continued.

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Meanwhile, in the Revered Ancient mainland, cultivators and mortals alike were unable to perceive what was happening beyond the sealed dome of heaven. They had no idea what was happening out in the starry sky.

It was only the gods, whose cultivation system was different, who were able to detect the outside. And given what happened out there in the starry sky, the gods of Revered Ancient were shaken deeply. Thēy retracted thēir auras, as did all of the experts from the species who worshipped thēm.

Xu Qing’s display of power had truly frightened thēm.

Revered Ancient... is going to experience a change in rulership.

That was what everyone was thinking.

As countless species in Revered Ancient stewed in anxiety, the cultivators waited in anticipation. And then ripples appeared in the sky above the imperial capital of humankind. The light of dawn shone down on all living beings.

Within the glow, Xu Qing appeared, slowly striding forth from the starry sky, through the seal, and into the canopy of heaven. As he hovered there, he looked down at the many familiar faces.

“The tribulation of the ancient immortal has passed,” he said.

At first, the countless species were silent. But then an unprecedented cheer erupted. Anxiety gave way to excitement. Pressure became exhilaration. Despair turning into the light of hope.

Zhou Zhengli and the others immediately bowed to Xu Qing. Then came Empress Summer Departure and all of humankind. Then all the other species bowed to the sky.

Master Seventh felt relieved as he looked at Xu Qing. There was endless gratitude in his heart, and he knew that, in the future, this apprentice of his would tread an unprecedented path, one foreordained to be filled with difficulty. Though he felt relief, he also felt worry. Reaching out, he smacked the excited Erniu on the head.

“All you do is eat stuff all day! How could you be so wimpy after eating that much??”

Erniu grumbled in response.

Xu Qing saw all of that. However, his divine will was already spreading through the entirety of Revered Ancient. He checked Sea-Sealing County first, where he saw old friends, as well as Plumdark in the phoenix palace, her eyes open....

He checked Emperor-Receiving Prefecture and then the Moonrite Region. In the old medicine shop, the Heir Apparent and his siblings were there, as well as Ling’er.

Next he looked toward the outer sea. There, he saw a little boat. The boat pulsed with fluctuations that indicated a True God would soon appear there. Yu Liuchen’s story was largely complete. Hē had previously been at the peak of Altar God, and had completed most of the ceremony necessary to become a True God. Next... he just needed to complete the process.

Xu Qing checked briefly, then looked in a different direction....

A dense fog covered the Heaveneater Region! Within that region was a mysterious kingdom that had been brought back from ancient times. All of its people had been brought back out of reincarnation as well.

It was called... the Sovereign Kingdom of Violet and Cyan! In the imperial palace of that kingdom was an astonishing statue. It was a statue of Eminent Desolation. Behind the statue was the grand hall of the imperial palace.

In that hall, seated on the Dragon Throne, was a person clad in an imperial robe, his head resting on one hand as if he was dozing. He looked similar to Xu Qing, except that he seemed uniquely evil. When Xu Qing looked at him, he smiled. Slowly lowering his hand, he stretched and then looked up into the dome of heaven. He laughed softly.

“You finally grew up, lil’ bro.... I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. I’m waiting for you.”