Shen Qi's expression was complex upon hearing the Daogu Tree's words. She knew that Ye Guan's backers were extraordinary, but she had yet to realize the true extent of their power.

It couldn't be helped, as even a cultivator with a unique path was squashed like an ant.

They were so powerful that their strength was far beyond Shen Qi's comprehension.

However, one thing was for sure—Ye Guan's plain-skirt aunt had subverted Shen Qi's understanding of the world, making her feel as insignificant as an ant.

"A civilization that is billions of years old is no more, just like that," the Daogu Tree remarked. She then shook her head slightly, and there was a complex light in her eyes.

Shen Qi was silent. The Forest Civilization was billions of years old, but it was destroyed in an instant upon provoking an existence that it wasn't supposed to provoke.

The vast expanse was so vast and unpredictable; everyone had no idea when a disaster would befall them.

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Shen Qi turned to the Daogu Tree beside her and asked, "Lady Daogu, who do you think is stronger? Those two or the legendary Tianxing Civilization?"

The Daogu Tree shook her head. "I don't know, but their strength is beyond my understanding."

Shen Qi nodded slightly. The lady in the plain skirt and the man in the blue robe were undoubtedly terrifying, but the power of the Tianxing Civilization was also beyond her comprehension as well.

However, her intuition told her that the lady in the plain skirt and the man in the blue robe weren't weaker than the Tianxing Civilization.

Shen Qi shook her head slightly, clearing her thoughts.

"Miss Daogu, what are your plans next?" Shen Qi asked, staring at the Daogu Tree.

The Daogu Tree smiled and replied, "Of course, I'll stay with the Guanxuan Civilization. How can I miss out on such a big opportunity?"

With that, the two ladies smiled at each other.

***

A lighthouse towering a million kilometers high stood quietly in a star field somewhere in the vast expanse. A palace that seemed to have been made out of pitch-black bricks was above the lighthouse.

A lady was inside the palace's grand hall; she was wearing a long red dress that was touching the floor, and half of her jade-like face was exposed.

She was surrounded by a myriad of light screens that resembled mirrors but rather than reflecting light waves to an observer, the "mirrors" depicted star fields, worlds, and universes.

The lady suddenly looked to the right. The rightmost light screen had just discovered an unknown civilization

The lady operated the control panel in front of her, and a universe coordinate appeared on the light screen.

She pressed a red button in front of her, and the lighthouse below her spat a flame that streaked across the vast expanse.

The universe depicted by the light screen was set ablaze, and just like that, a civilization was dead.

Soon, a ball of flame manifested in the palace.

The lady took out a mysterious cube, and the flame trembled slightly before spitting out billions of storage rings into the mysterious cube.

Once the flame was no longer spitting any storage rings, the lady in a red dress put the cube away and continued with her work.

After a while, the lady turned to look at a light screen on her right. Her brows furrowed instantly upon realizing that she had lost contact with a Tianxing Flame.

She tried to reconnect to it but received no response.

The lady in a red dress was confused. She had never encountered something like this until now. Her hands danced across the control panel, and the universe on that light screen shifted and changed.

Soon, a civilization appeared on the screen. If Ye Guan were here, he'd instantly recognize it, as it was none other than the Guanxuan Civilization!

The lady in a red dress intently at the screen, and her confusion deepened with every passing second.

She was staring at a primitive civilization comparable to a backwater planet. However, the Tianxing Flame that she had sent to annihilate the backwater civilization had inexplicably disappeared. How did that even happen?

The lady in a red dress pondered over it for a long time before turning to look at the red button in front of her.

She hesitated to send another Tianxing Flame, but she eventually decided against it. She walked over to a stone platform riddled with mysterious inscriptions. Her hands danced across the control panel attached to the platform, and the spacetime in front of her soon rippled like water. She received some feedback, but it was mere static.

In the end, she received no coherent response.

The lady in a red dress' brows furrowed even deeper. She tried again but received no coherent response.

Eventually, she gave up and returned to the control panel. She looked at the light screen again with her hand hovering over the red button.

She pondered over the matter for a long time, and she eventually decided against pressing it.

For now, she decided to observe the mysterious civilization.

Having made up her mind, she tapped on the control panel, and a young man dressed in a black robe appeared on the light screen.

The black-robed young man was quietly examining the Tianxing Flame in his hand.

The lady in a red dress' eyes widened in surprise and curiosity at the unbelievable sight.

She moved closer to the screen and reached out with her fingers to zoom in.

The black-robed young man bit his finger and let a drop of blood fall into the flame. Then, he stared at it intently with some anticipation in his eyes.

The lady in a red dress became even more curious.

What is he doing?

The black-robed young man furrowed his brows. The flame wasn't reacting at all. He paced back and forth for a while before asking, "Master Pagoda, why is the flame not responding to me?"

Hearing his words, the lady blinked in confusion, as she couldn't understand their language. She extended a finger and tapped the screen gently.

The black-robed young man frowned, looking around in confusion. He felt like someone had just tapped on his forehead.

"Master Pagoda, do you sense anything unusual?" asked Ye Guan.

Little Pagoda belatedly replied, "I'm just a pagoda."

Ye Guan. "..."

Little Pagoda suddenly asked, "Do you want to tame this Tianxing Flame?"

"Yes."

The lady in the red dress was surprised to hear Little Pagoda's words. She could finally understand their language.

The black-robed young man examined the Tianxing Flame in his hand and said, "Master Pagoda, this flame contains an extremely terrifying energy. If I could harness that..."

"How about you try communicating with it?"

Ye Guan shook his head and replied, "I tried, but I received no response."

"Then, there's no way to tame it," replied Little Pagoda.

Ye Guan was a bit frustrated. He had tried every single method of taming known to him, but the Tianxing Flame remained unresponsive.

Feeling a bit disheartened, Ye Guan furrowed his brows and asked, "Master Pagoda, I think I'm wrong."

"What do you mean?"

Ye Guan glanced at the Tianxing Flame before explaining, "Aunt probably gave me this flame to make sure that I'll stay humble rather than let me tame it."

Little Pagoda was silent.

Ye Guan didn't mind that and added, "As long as I see this flame, I'll remember that in the distant unknown universe, there exists an incredibly powerful civilization that can easily destroy me and the Guanxuan Universe. I have no reason to be arrogant. I am but a speck of dust when compared to the vast expanse. I must keep working hard and become even stronger..."

With that, he slowly closed his eyes. At that moment, he finally understood his aunt's intention.

The journey of cultivation has no end. The universe is vast, and one must remain humble and respectful.

Little Pagoda suddenly said softly, "I'm quite surprised you realized this so quickly."

"Master Pagoda, you knew this all along. Why didn't you give me a hint?"

"Some things must be realized on one's own to truly understand. Even if others tell you the truth, you might not grasp it."

Ye Guan nodded slightly. "I understand."

Little Pagoda asked, "What are your plans next?"

Ye Guan thought for a moment and then said, "Now that our Guanxuan Universe's coordinates are exposed, we'll likely face many other civilizations. So, the top priority is to cultivate diligently and strengthen our civilization as a whole."

"What about this Tianxing Flame?"

Ye Guan looked at the flame in his hand and smiled, "I'll keep it with me. It won't harm me, after all."

With that, he smiled and left the tiny pagoda.

***

Inside the Universe Lighthouse.

The lady in a red dress rested her chin in her hands, her eyes full of confusion and curiosity.

When the black-robed young man took out the flame, she tried to reconnect with the Tianxing Flame again, but it remained unresponsive.

This baffled her, as this had never happened before.

It was as if the Tianxing Flame had been hijacked.

However, it didn't make sense at all, as the black-robed young man was extremely weak; his strength wasn't even a fraction of the Tianxing Flame's power.

The lady pondered for a long time but still couldn't find an answer. Suddenly, she turned to look at a mysterious universe calendar on the distant wall. When she saw the numbers on it, her eyes lit up with joy.

It was vacation time! One year off every hundred years.

She immediately returned to the control panel and quickly operated it. Once the mysterious machine entered automatic mode, she grinned, glancing around at the dense array of light screens. Finally, her gaze settled on one screen.

The Guanxuan Universe!

After thinking for a while, she picked up a small bamboo bag from a stone platform and then turned to leave.

Stepping out of the hall, she was greeted by an endless starry sky that felt deep and lonely.

She stretched and then walked briskly into the distance.

Vacation time! This is great!

She decided to visit that civilization personally and investigate the Tianxing Flame issue.

Soon, she disappeared into the distant starry skies.

And right after she vanished, a sword hovering above the lighthouse vanished slowly into nothingness.

Shockingly, it was the Path Sword!