Chapter 463 - Outstanding Move, Gaining All the Advantages, Breaking Through to Third Rank - Part 3

Several days later.

A caravan that was originally bound for the Holy Tree Temple veered off its course entirely, changing direction to cross through the Cloudpeak, Silk Floss, and Stellar Sea Province, pushing eastward toward the vast and fabled Eastern Sea.

Three months later, they reached the coastline.

The waves stretched endlessly beneath the golden sun, glittering like scattered shards of glass. But beneath that beauty lurked unfathomable depths and dangers.

Cui Huayin stood quietly at the water’s edge, watching the tide roll in and out, weaving its intricate patterns along the sand. Her gaze shifted, and she turned to the Revival Tree God. “Senior...how do we cross this sea?”

The Revival Tree God’s lips curved slightly, almost amused. “It’ll be here soon.”

Before the words even faded, the distant mist over the ocean began to churn and part. From within the rolling fog, an immense, translucent silhouette emerged, like some deep-sea leviathan breaching the boundary between worlds.

And then, as sunlight poured down upon it, the shape solidified, revealing its true form.

Cui Huayin, Jing Shuixiang, Yao Jue, and the others raised their heads, stunned into silence.

“A...a ship?!” Yao Jue’s voice trembled. “A ship that

flies

in the sky!”

She wasn’t the only one who could barely believe her eyes. Everyone—wives, disciples, and servants—stood rooted to the spot, jaws slack, watching the massive vessel descend from the heavens.

The colossal airship lowered gradually, its shadow sweeping across the shore. At the railing stood a young woman clad in flowing golden robes, her presence serene yet commanding.

The Revival Tree God raised his hand toward her and spoke lightly, “Su Ji, take them into the sect. See that they’re made full disciples of the Supreme Arcane Sect. Whatever the other disciples are entitled to, they must not be given any less.”

“Yes, Ancestor!” the golden-robed girl answered, bowing respectfully.

Then she turned, her smile bright and warm as she addressed the group. “Honored guests, please... board the ship. You are the first in thousands of years to be granted passage into the Eastern Sea. Treasure this chance well.

Before we depart, I suggest you turn back and take one last look at this land.”

She paused, her voice carrying the quiet promise of another world. “Because the next time you set foot here... you will stand above all living beings on this continent. Even emperors and sovereigns will bow their heads before you, offering their deepest respect.”

For a moment, silence stretched across the shore as the words sank in.

Then, one by one, they stepped forward, their feet crossing the threshold into destiny.

The Revival Tree God watched them ascend the steps and vanish into the ship’s vast hull. Only when the last figure disappeared did he turn away.

Leaning lightly on his cane, he stepped forward slowly, his figure receding along the winding path toward Fujang.

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

It was time.

He had another move to make.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

A little over a month later.

The Revival Tree God arrived at the gates of the Ghost Prison.

Leaning lightly on his black cane, he stood beneath the looming, oppressive shadows, smiling faintly as the black-robed Yan Yu emerged from the cold, eerie halls behind. He gave her a courteous bow, his voice calm yet firm.

“I am Su Mushen, the Revival Tree God, here in good faith. The world is shifting, Yan Yu. Yin and Yang are converging, becoming one. To move against the tide now is to drift backward, and in stagnation lies destruction. Rather than wait to be swallowed by another ghost domain...why not be the one to swallow them first?”

Then, without hesitation, he added, “And to prove my sincerity...I bring an offer of the highest weight.”

Yan Yu’s dark eyes, sharp as obsidian, narrowed slightly. “And what...offer is that?”

The Revival Tree God raised his hand slowly. “Lend me your bronze mirror.”

Yan Yu extended her pale palm, and with a faint flick of her wrist, the mirror floated gracefully into the air, suspended in a coil of black mist, its surface shimmering like the depths of a silent lake.

The Revival Tree God met its reflection openly.

Inside the mirror, his past unfolded, the things he had done and the choices he had made. His journey lay bare before her, exposed like a wound under moonlight. And yet, there was a boundary, a fixed point where the images cut off.

That point...led directly to the Eastern Sea.

Everything he had done since arriving on this continent, all of it, was revealed to her.

Among those truths was his unquestionable kindness toward one family, and that was Li Yuan’s.

Generations of heroes had tried and failed, Lu Xuanxian, Qing Hancheng, and countless names etched deep into history. None had ever set foot in the Eastern Sea’s Immortal Domain.

And yet somehow, Li Yuan’s family had gone.

If that wasn’t goodwill, then what was?

Yan Yu closed her fingers, and the bronze mirror vanished back into her sleeve.

The Revival Tree God’s smile deepened slightly, his tone low but resolute. “There are many monstrous entities, savage things that have birthed sentience from madness. Compared to them, I’d rather see

you

be the one to unify this realm, Yan Yu. I, the Revival Tree God, am willing to be your vanguard, to walk through fire and shadow, no matter the cost.”

Yan Yu studied him for a long moment, her gaze cool and inscrutable. At last, she asked quietly, “And what is it you want?”

“The Grand Union of Yin and Yang,” the Revival Tree God replied without a single heartbeat’s pause. “If that balance can be achieved, I care nothing for my name, my reputation, or the curses they’ll hurl at me. I’ll bear any burden.”

Yan Yu said nothing more. She nodded once, slow and deliberate. “Go, then.”

The Revival Tree God bowed deeply. “To show my loyalty, I’ll begin by helping you unify all of Hidden River Province. We’ll start...with the flower shop.”

Then he stepped back and slowly withdrew.

Yan Yu stood silently, watching his figure disappear into the gray mists, her expression unreadable. But in her deep, dark eyes, an odd flicker stirred, subtle and unspoken.

Memories rose, unbidden.

More than half a year ago, Li Yuan had stood before her, calm, calculating, and laying out two requests. The first was entrusting her with his blood. The second was to plan for everything that would follow.

She remembered how he had studied Ping'an from the shadows for over a year, quietly observing, testing, weighing possibilities until finally, he had arrived at a prediction.

Based on that prediction, he charted countless branches of fate.

And now...the best outcome had begun to unfold.

Li Yuan

died

. And the hidden figure who had always lingered silently behind Ping'an finally stepped into the light.

The Revival Tree God had sent Cui Huayin, Jing Shuixiang, Yao Jue, and all of Ping'an’s descendants into the secretive Immortal Domain of the Eastern Sea.

Now, that same man, a power terrifying enough to shift the tides, had himself straight to Yan Yu’s door, willing to act as her

hound

.

Beyond that, Li Yuan had also quietly dissolved the internal threats buried within the Nine Flames, defusing what might have erupted into a brutal clash between them and the forces within the Western Extreme’s Deathless Tomb.

Yet through it all...he never lost control of the Deathless Tomb itself.

As for Naran and Ping'an, his two sons, Li Yuan had finally let them go. He understood something most parents never did. Children grow. They would forge their own paths. There would always come a time when the hand that once guided must release its grip.

After all, what right does a parent have to keep saying,

You don’t understand, this is for your own good

—while chaining their children to a future that they didn’t decide?

Li Yuan...had chosen to stop meddling. And in doing so, he’d set everything into motion. He had done it perfectly, setting the stage in silence, building everything for his children without drawing attention, and then, at the most opportune moment, slipping away without a sound.

Outside the Ghost Prison, Yan Yu lifted her gaze to a tiny sparrow perched on the old tree branch nearby. A faint, almost human smile curved her lips.

He must have gone even further by now. If not yet...then soon. That was her man.

A flicker of quiet pride stirred in her chest.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

“Papa! Papa!”

Before the Yan Yu’s temple, the leaves of the ancient locust tree rustled suddenly, the sound carrying a strange rhythm.

And from within the rustling came a voice, bright and excited, “I did it! This is my new body! I-I feel so strong!”

On one of the tree’s higher branches, a black crow stood side by side with the tiny sparrow, both of them peering down at the massive old tree beneath their claws.

The sparrow tilted its head, glancing first at the crow, then at the trunk beneath them, as though trying to make sense of it all.

From the locust tree itself, a slender branch bent gently toward the sparrow, brushing softly against its little feathers in quiet affection.

Meanwhile, the crow chattered noisily, its voice high and animated, “But wait...looks like I can only be a tree right now. I can’t turn back! Hmph, I’ll ask that old man again!”

A moment later, the crow flapped its wings and declared triumphantly, “Ohhh, I get it now! The old man says I’ve stepped into the very first sub-realm of the third rank,

Yin Reborn Within Yang, Flesh Remade Anew!

“Once I cultivate the next stage, Myriad Forms, Flesh and Blood Gate, this old locust tree will be able to turn into a person! Isn’t that amazing?”

The crow gave a proud little laugh. “Hehehe. But the old man looked...pretty surprised, actually.”

Another beat passed before the crow piped up again, this time gleefully, “Papa! When that happens, you’re going to have

two

Sheng’ers! Aren’t you happy?”

It pecked playfully at the sparrow’s tiny wing, while one of the locust tree’s branches reached down to nudge the sparrow from the other side.

The little sparrow was shoved gently back and forth like a smaller sibling caught between two overly affectionate sisters.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Western Extremes.

Deep underground, beneath the ice, a colossal sphere of blazing, withered flames floated silently in the shadows. It was by many magnitudes larger than the Yang energy orb that Sheng’er had once formed.

The scene mirrored what had happened before, when Sheng'er’s Yin energy left her body, gathering and compressing Yang energy until it birthed something entirely new.

Now, the massive fireball drifted gently beneath the permafrost, its glow swallowing the darkness. Then, as though guided by fate, it latched itself onto the underside of a towering mountain encased deep within the ice.

And there, it began to pulse softly...nourishing, breathing, growing. It was like an unborn heart, waiting for the moment it would break free from its icy womb.

Li Yuan’s consciousness was still present, quietly watching, quietly thinking. He couldn’t help but marvel to himself. He hadn’t expected it. Through a strange chain of coincidences, he had ended up stepping onto the path of Heaven Soul cultivation.

And yet... he was still one step slower than Sheng'er.

My daughter...is truly impressive. The river forever pushes its waves forward, and the new always surpasses the old.

That thought brought a faint, unspoken smile to his mind.

Meanwhile, the searing light of the withered flame spread further, consuming the entirety of the mountain buried beneath the ice.

In this silent, untouched domain where no human tread, the vast, unearthly radiance created a scene of raw, boundless grandeur. It was majestic, eternal, and unseen by all but him.