Chapter 1431
The Sage's Plot, Calamity Imminent
Chapter 1431 The Sage's Plot, Calamity Imminent
In the ancient land of Shenzhou, within the Zixiao Palace.
The First Saint remained calm, like an unyielding block of ice, holding the [Book of Divine Fortune and Destiny], awaiting the possible reopening, or perhaps not.
Almost simultaneously.
On the other side, Lü Yang, who was being secretly watched by the First Saint, also came to his senses and began to observe the final calamity that was gradually spreading from the end of time.
'That's not quite right.'
As his gaze fell upon her, Lü Yang clearly saw the profound changes in the Sword Sovereign. It was obvious that the final tribulation still seemed to have the upper hand over her.
But why did it fail? Lu Yang had seen it clearly before; Zhen Qu Lu's plan was quite perfect. The appearance of the Sword Lord filled in his last flaw. By using the [Threads of Love] to cultivate with the Final Tribulation, he could drain the power from the opponent and turn it into his own. The plan was indeed feasible.
However, something went wrong.
'The shackles of emotion have been broken; the final tribulation is no longer merely about possessing spirituality, but rather the true birth of wisdom and self-awareness!'
This is by no means a natural occurrence.
Who did it?
Without the slightest hesitation, Lü Yang made a judgment entirely out of instinct: "It's definitely a Primordial Saint. He did something similar in his previous life!"
Almost simultaneously, Sword Lord also raised his head.
No, at this moment, he could no longer be called a swordsman. His once clear and cold eyes were now filled with a deathly light.
Within her body, dense cracks continuously emitted intense images of calamity, coalescing into flickering apocalyptic light. Then, a voice, entirely different from the Sword Lord's, neither male nor female, encompassing all things, slowly emerged from her lips, resounding powerfully:
"Let me go."
The sound disregarded the distance of time and space, resounding in the ears of all Dao Ancestors and Dao Lords, as omnipresent as this world, with no place for any living being to escape.
The final tribulation god!
In an instant, Lu Yang, who was facing this voice, felt as if he had been forcibly separated from the world, and what he saw was that the whole world was his enemy!
This is neither mysterious nor a profound skill, but rather an immeasurable force that vibrates spacetime, forming a wave that is surging from the distant future toward the present moment. The sense of universal enmity he perceives is essentially just a weak aftershock of this wave!
"not good.!"
In an instant, Zhu Liuxian, Shan Qiuhuo, and even the ancient Dao Ancestors from various places all stood up, their gazes quickly revealing shock and anger.
However, at that moment...
"Zheng—!"
In another part of the land, the sound of a blade rang out, breaking everyone's astonishment and doubt. The blade's light was bright, stirring up endless spiritual images of the ancient land.
At this moment, all was silent.
The once vibrant and colorful world was now divided into distinct black and white by a faint slash of light, and then cleaved out!
In an instant, the aura of impending doom that had been spreading was completely annihilated, and the dazzling sword light became the strongest barrier protecting the present moment.
"The teacher is the greatest."
"After killing Jade Emperor and using a Dao Ancestor to consecrate his sword, his strength has indeed increased."
"Hmm? That's not right."
Just then, everyone suddenly noticed that among the many primordial spirit flames that had been shining brightly in the ancient times, one primordial spirit had silently vanished.
[Merit] Dao Ancestor, Master Quanxian.
"Did Shi Weixiong murder his father?"
"Not necessarily. Shi Quanxian may have committed suicide. After all, although Shi Weixiong's path was extreme, it was still a path. Helping him achieve his goal was a good deed."
Under everyone's watchful eyes, on a mountaintop in Shenzhou, Shi Weixiong, dressed in armor and as a military general, held a blood-stained longsword and looked coldly at the deathly color at the end of time. Then, he raised his eyebrows slightly and sent a thought towards time.
at the same time.
Inside the time tunnel, watching the Sword Lord's cracks multiply and become completely unstoppable, Zhen Qulu sighed helplessly and somewhat dejectedly:
"It failed."
Before he could finish speaking, he sensed something, turned around and looked behind him, and saw Shi Weixiong slashing out, stopping the time-reversal blade of the final calamity.
Immediately afterwards, the light of the blade materialized into a physical form.
Shi Weixiong's consciousness transcended time and space, emerging and immediately declaring, "The road is blocked, so give it to me to offer as a sacrifice to my divine sword."
After saying that, he turned his gaze away.
There, Cang Hao and Wan Fa stood expressionless, while Du Xuan appeared calm on the surface, but his eyes were filled with panic, and he was on the verge of losing his composure.
"You too."
Shi Weixiong continued, "The road is blocked, and I cannot open a passage for you to return. Doing so would only give the current calamity an opportunity to invade."
"So now, you're all going to die either way."
"You will either die at the hands of the final tribulation, or you will die at my hands. If you die at the hands of the final tribulation, even your primordial spirit will be annihilated, and you will never be reborn."
"If you die by my hand, your primordial spirit will be used to consecrate the sword, leaving you with a sliver of hope. If I succeed and attain the Divine Transformation Realm, you will all be able to ascend to heaven."
Shi Weixiong's words were concise and straightforward, laying out all the advantages and disadvantages directly. However, death was the ultimate consequence. It was one thing for Zhen Qulu, but Cang Hao and the others had come through the early days of sainthood and had undergone many trials. How could they possibly believe the promises of outsiders?
Moreover—they have their own way out.
"No need."
Cang Hao shook his head calmly, then exchanged a glance with Wan Fa, and then simultaneously activated his profound technique, causing the two figures to gradually overlap.
Unite! Become one!
In their previous lives, Cang Hao and Wan Fa demonstrated similar methods after switching to the Seven Emotions Reaching Heaven Technique, using a fusion approach to enhance their strength!
This scene was also witnessed by Lü Yang.
Seeing the identical thought of "Supreme Ruthlessness" in the eyes of Cang Hao and Wan Fa, Lü Yang suddenly felt a deep chill.
A cultivator with the "Supreme Ruthlessness" cultivation level can achieve body fusion.
'If Cang Hao and Wan Fa can do it, then what about Tai Yuan Xian and Chu Sheng? There's no reason they can't; this method is practically identical to the idea of everyone being of one mind!'
The First Sage truly did not live all these years in vain.
He secretly mastered all of the Buddha's methods, whether it was the three incarnations or the unity of all people, and even innovated upon them.
Soon, the unified Canghao Wanfa spoke:
"I won't see you off any further. Goodbye."
Upon hearing this, Shi Weixiong immediately felt something and turned to look towards the direction of Zixiao Palace in the ancient divine land, where he saw a beam of immortal light rising.
"Boom!"
The celestial light pierced through time and space, like an invisible hand that casually parted the curtain, grasped all the laws of the universe in its palm, and then abruptly withdrew.
Change the cause, change the result!
In an instant, the original history was erased.
The original statement, "[Cang Hao and Wan Fa joined forces to assist the Sword Lord]", has been changed to "[Cang Hao and Wan Fa never came; what assisted the Sword Lord was only their remaining power]".
The world has been changed because of this.
This was a unique method of Guanghai, quite different from that of the ancient Divine Continent, so much so that Shi Weixiong didn't even have time to react and stop it, and a strange look appeared in his eyes.
"Impress Taiyuan, what a skillful method!"
"It is not like Zhuliu Xian or Zhen Qu Lu, who interfere with [time] by drawing inferences from other things through their own way, but rather they are the way of time themselves."
After saying that, he looked at the last person present, the Lord of the Light Sea, with some surprise.
Aren't you going with them?
Du Xuan: "."
At this moment, Du Xuan's expression was incredibly twisted. Did he not want to go with Cang Hao and Wan Fa? Damn it, they left without him!
On the other side, Shi Weixiong also realized what was going on, his face full of understanding: "That's right, their primordial spirits are different, and they have some kind of connection with Taiyuan Immortal, which is why they can be taken away from a distance. You have no connection, so naturally you can't leave. In that case, are you planning to die in the final tribulation, or sacrifice yourself to my divine blade?"
After saying that, he looked at Du Xuan and shook his head:
"Unfortunately, it's a bit weak."
Upon hearing this, Du Xuan immediately took a deep breath, feeling a chill run through his body, penetrating to his very bones. He almost instinctively looked at someone.
'Si Chong'.
They were once close friends, both from the same realm, and were the two most talented individuals in that realm, leaving behind countless myths and legends.
They were once rivals, but admired each other and eventually became best friends. Together, they explored the mysteries of ascension and broke through to the next level at the same time, creating the legend of ascension in that realm and entering the vast world of light. They had once promised to stand at the peak together.
—The beautiful memories came to an abrupt end.
Because this world is inherently unfair; the gap between geniuses is sometimes greater than the gap between a genius and a dog.
It turns out:
He Duxuan became the strongest in the Realm of Heaven because that was his limit, and Si Chong became the strongest in the Realm of Heaven because that was the limit of the Realm of Heaven.
After embarking on a broader path of cultivation, Si Chong immediately displayed talent far surpassing his own. The two, who were once neck and neck, quickly fell apart. The mutual discussions and progress they made back then gradually turned into him listening to Si Chong explain profound principles to him alone.
Negative emotions? Of course.
However, Du Xuan concealed it well, because he knew very well how many cultivators were like him. Without Si Chong, he would just blend into the crowd.
He was absolutely unwilling to accept this.
So he chose to endure humiliation and hardship. It was at this moment that he defined his relationship with Si Chong as "enduring humiliation and hardship".
he's changed.
In the war between the Dao Lords 129,600 years ago, Si Chong was defeated. Was he really helpless at that time? Actually, no, he did have a way.
The solution is quite simple.
If he had spared no effort and forced his way into the battle, even if it meant self-destruction, he might have faced problems, but he could have given Si Chong a chance to survive.
However, he did not do so.
This is perfectly normal. There are no laws, and there are no trivial matters between life and death. His unwillingness to self-destruct is simply human nature; that's just how people are.
What's wrong?
Du Xuan had always thought this way and had successfully convinced himself of it, but what he found most unacceptable was that Si Chong thought the same way.
Du Xuan was certain that Si Chong was able to see the situation clearly at the time and knew that as long as he risked his life, he could escape. Therefore, after Si Chong escaped, Du Xuan thought of many righteous and eloquent arguments to explain his thoughts back then, and he felt that he was right.
However, Si Chong did not ask.
Si Chong didn't care at all, or rather, he believed that his actions back then were reasonable, so he didn't hold his past behavior against him.
Du Xuan was almost insane.
It wasn't until that moment that he truly realized the changes that had occurred within him. Si Chong was still the same person he had been back then, but he was no longer the same.
But he kept pretending that he hadn't changed.
Si Chong was sealed away, stopping at the Golden Core stage, while he ascended to the third level of the Other Shore. Didn't he feel a little bit of secret joy?
Of course there is.
Deep down, he believed that his "endurance and humiliation" were worthwhile, and that everything was "after hardship comes happiness." Yet, he refused to acknowledge this thought. Even in the long-standing effort to save Si Chong, although he participated, he wasn't particularly proactive; Wan Fa took the lead, and he assisted. How much of that was driven by personal motives?
'I see.'
All the past events flashed before his eyes, finally turning into a deep sense of melancholy: 'No wonder, no wonder only I still have a huge flaw in my primordial spirit.'
Both the World Honored One and Lü Yang's primordial spirits were forged with the help of external forces, but although they also had flaws, they were far less significant than those of Du Xuan.
There was a time when Du Xuan wondered why, but he found nothing.
Only today did he finally understand:
'I haven't even figured out who I am, so how could my primordial spirit be complete?'
If he can recognize "me", then whether it is good or bad, whether he acknowledges his own change or repents for his past mistakes, his primordial spirit will react to it.
But he's stuck in the middle, neither here nor there.
He had clearly changed, but he refused to admit it. Even if his perfect disguise could fool Si Chong, it couldn't fool his own heart or the primordial spirit he had cultivated.
'It was all just a dream in the end.'
Du Xuan closed his eyes, neither calling out Si Chong's name nor pleading for help, even though he desperately wanted to be saved and had no desire to perish.
But he remained silent.
He had long since changed; he was no longer the peerless hero of that small realm, yet he forced himself to maintain this facade, determined to face death with equanimity.
Just like his disguise over the years.
If Si Chong were to kill him, he might be able to set aside his concerns and stop pretending. But now that Si Chong is watching him, how could he possibly reveal his true self?
There was one person he didn't want to be looked down upon.
Moreover, if he can act well enough, Si Chong might still take the initiative to save his life out of consideration for their past friendship, just like back then.
A sense of relief, despair, struggle, and anger swirled in my mind.
Du Xuan bit his lip tightly, suppressing the cry for help that was rising in his throat, and instead uttered a sentence that he immediately regretted.
"Let's get started."
The next second, a blade flashed.
Du Xuan is dead.
Another wisp of primordial spirit fire extinguished, and when everything dissipated, the place where Du Xuan had once stood had vanished, leaving only a sigh.
Inside the Purple Cloud Palace, the First Saint also witnessed the entire process.
Beside him, Cang Hao and Wan Fa had separated again, their gazes calm, their state of "Supreme Forgetfulness" leaving them completely unmoved.
"They deserved to die."
The First Saint said coldly, "Du Xuan's primordial spirit has been damaged for many years, and he has developed too many inappropriate emotions. In the end, he still died because of the human heart."
Human hearts are poisonous!
In the view of the sage, cultivation and transcendence require abandoning worldly affairs. Originally, it is a solitary path of the Great Dao, and on this path, the existence of human hearts is merely a stumbling block.
If you are too attached to human emotions and filled with gratitude, do you still want to transcend? If you want to transcend and abandon everything, then you should give up human emotions and thoughts.
"Du Xuan and Wan Bao are both like this."
“On the contrary, Nianyao sees things clearly, so among all the Dao Lords, apart from me, her achievements are the highest, which further proves my theory.”
"It's a pity"
At this point, Chu Sheng shook his head again: "She was out of luck and ultimately fell short. With me around, she would never have achieved anything."
Almost simultaneously.
Deep in the future, the Sword Lord, whose entire body was completely covered by fine cracks and whose deathly stillness could no longer be concealed, suddenly raised his head.
"The First Saint."
A deep sigh followed Du Xuan, filled with immense resentment, yet utterly futile; the last vestiges of his primordial spirit perished in the final tribulation.
The next second, the blade flashed.
The blade that had slain Du Xuan did not pause for a moment, and immediately killed Jian Jun as well, before finally aiming at the dejected Zhen Qulu from afar.
"Fellow Daoist, is there anything else you would like to say?"
"Time is running out."
Shi Weixiong's voice sounded slightly hurried.
Zhen Qulu looked around and finally shook his head helplessly: "Be careful of the Mingxiang and Taiyuan sects, their methods have changed."
"They have resorted to any means necessary to transcend this."
"My failure was also caused by them. After that, Fellow Daoist, you are probably the last one. If possible, try to eliminate them first."
Shi Weixiong nodded slightly: "Okay."
After speaking, Zhen Qulu closed his eyes, and with a flash of light, his Dharma body was shattered. All the profound secrets of killing three Daoists were gathered in the light of his blade.
Immediately, the blade flashed and slashed backhand.
The time tunnel linking the present and the future shattered on the spot, shutting out all the deathly colors. Only after doing all this did Shi Weixiong withdraw his thoughts.
And before leaving.
Whether it was him or Lu Yang and the others who had been paying close attention to this dramatic change, they all saw a figure in the dark aura of impending doom.
The final tribulation god, the ultimate tiger.
His eyes were filled with a longing for life, his lips moved slightly, and a calm voice came from the depths of time: "No, there won't be a next time."
The words came to an abrupt halt.
However, everyone knew that this was no exaggeration; the final calamity god, possessing self-awareness, would surely try every means to reopen the time passage.
Therefore, if the time portal opens again, it will not be the Dao Ancestor who saves the world again.
It will only bring catastrophe!
Meanwhile, below lies the ancient land of China.
"Zhen Qu Lu also failed."
Zhu Liuxian lamented that now only Shi Weixiong remained, but this Dao Ancestor's plan was to confront the final tribulation head-on, which was hard to believe.
On the other side, Lü Yang also looked thoughtful.
'It must be the work of the First Saint.'
'Zhen Qu Lu's failure was definitely because of him; the Final Tribulation Dao God was also created by him, but what benefit did that bring him? What exactly does he want to do?'
Lü Yang attempted to adopt the perspective of the First Sage.
'What I know, Chu Sheng certainly knows as well, perhaps even more, so he must have had doubts about [Jun], just like me.'
However, in the end, he gave up his doubts.
But what about the First Sage?
'He couldn't possibly give up. Given the way the sage had acted, he would first assume that [Jun] was a bad person with ulterior motives, and then act based on that assumption.'
So what will he do?
Just as Lü Yang was pondering, a voice suddenly rang out:
[Senior, Senior Xuande]
It is the record of immortals.
Lü Yang immediately raised his head and looked in the direction of Zixiao Palace. In his ear, Lu Xian's tone was quite urgent, and his voice was inexplicably lowered:
[The First Saint forcefully broke into the Purple Cloud Palace!]
I hid, while he was setting up a ritual in Zixiao Palace. I recognized that ritual; it was exactly the same one that the First Emperor performed in the Immortal Pivot!
The rituals of the First Emperor?
The information delivered by the immortal recorder gave Lü Yang a sudden, profound realization: 'The Primordial Saint... he intends to recreate the Transcendence Ritual used by the Ancestral Dragon?'
The First Emperor and [Jun] were extremely close friends.
'So, he suspects that the First Emperor's transcendence ritual was learned from [Jun], and that [Jun's] true goal was actually a grand sacrifice for all living beings?'
Judging from his own experience, Lü Yang almost instantly guessed the sage's thoughts and understood his plan: "He intends to strike first, seize the opportunity, complete the great sacrifice first, and then use this power to transcend. Is it that simple? No, there must be something else."
the reason is simple.
Even if we take a step back and assume that the Initial Saint successfully transcends, he is still not a Nascent Soul cultivator. Even including the Primordial Immortal, he is only equivalent to the ninth level of the [Other Shore].
This kind of detachment is no different from that of a spirit medium.
They are all **false detachment**.
In other words:
'He certainly won't give up the Seed of the Great Dao. If the Great Sacrifice to All Living Beings is what he uses to transcend, then the Seed of the Great Dao is what he uses to transform into a deity!'
He wants them all!
However, the problem is that with so many Dao Ancestors blocking his way, how can he possibly seize the Seed of the Great Dao? To put it bluntly, it is extremely difficult.
Because the First Saint had too many enemies.
Putting everything else aside, Lü Yang's side would absolutely not allow the Initial Saint to succeed, and the ancient Dao Ancestors' side also mostly had no goodwill towards the Initial Saint's side.
What should I do?
From the perspective of the initial sage, Lü Yang quickly devised a solution:
'If you've made too many enemies, then find someone with even more enemies to draw their attention away from you!'
—The God of the Final Calamity!
A symbol of the end times, an image of destruction, yet it also possesses self-awareness and a desire to be in the present moment—perfect for drawing fire!
"What's even more ingenious is that the Seed of the Great Dao is currently in the future, in the final tribulation. But if the Dao God of the final tribulation arrives at this point in time, then the future will be empty, and the Seed of the Great Dao will be unprepared. At that time, if the Primordial Saint were to sneak over there, the Seed of the Great Dao would be practically within his grasp!"
Base-trading tactic!
Using the final tribulation Dao God to hold off all opponents, and then traveling to the future to obtain the Great Dao Seed, the whole plan is to use the opponent's strength against them. It's simple but hard to stop!
'Wait, something's not right.'
The next second, Lü Yang suddenly realized.
Who says you have to transcend first before you can obtain the Seed of the Great Dao and seek the Divine Transformation?
If he were a beginner saint, he could have opened the space-time channel first, let the Dao God of the Final Tribulation in, and then go to get the Seed of the Great Dao to achieve the advanced stage of the Nascent Soul realm.
Once you have absolute power, return to offer sacrifices to all living beings and seek transcendence!
Upon realizing this, Lü Yang immediately raised his head, looked at Zixiao Palace, and transmitted his voice, "Immortal Lu, who else did you tell about the First Saint's affair at Zixiao Palace?"
【Huh?】
Soon, Lu Xian gave a somewhat hesitant response: "Of course, it's all the Dao Ancestors, since only they currently have the ability to stop him."
"We've been tricked!" Lu Yang's eyes darkened slightly.
Zixiao Palace is bait!
The First Sage was probably waiting for all the Dao Ancestors to go to Zixiao Palace and gather together before opening the space-time channel and using the Dao Gods of the Final Tribulation to wipe them all out in one fell swoop!
How to do?
Now that things have come to this, the initial sage's plan cannot be stopped. Even if the Dao Ancestors do not go, it will not change the outcome that the Dao God of the Final Tribulation is about to descend.
Should we reopen it?
'.no!'
"In terms of cultivation, I am far inferior to the current initial saint. The secret to the [Hundred Lifetimes Book] being able to reopen is my greatest trump card. I can only use it in the most crucial moments, when it can truly determine the outcome. If I play it at that moment, this card will be completely useless."
Thinking this, Lü Yang abruptly rejected the idea of reopening the gates: 'Perhaps the First Sage is waiting for me; reopening them now would probably play right into his hands!'
(End of this chapter)