Chapter 896
Cause and Effect and the Game
Chapter 896 Cause and Effect and the Game
Sometimes coincidences are more than just coincidences, and the names of a realm are not chosen arbitrarily.
However, both of these realms are too ancient. At least in realms other than the Primordial God Sect, no one has been able to find out the origins or ages of these two realms.
The same applies to the Great Wei Divine Dynasty and the Ancient Divine Sect, since apart from themselves, the other Linglong Realms have changed rulers countless times.
On the ancient mountain, light shimmered, and figures could be vaguely seen.
Clearly, the Ancient Divine Sect had already noticed Gu Yuanqing's arrival.
Suddenly, a figure appeared; it was Qi Yichen, the sect master of the Ancient Divine Sect. He said with a gloomy expression, "Gu Yuanqing, what exactly do you want? Do you really want to fight the Ancient Divine Sect to the death?"
Gu Yuanqing said indifferently, "Shouldn't I be asking what your Ancient Divine Sect wants to do? Don't say that this matter of the Great Wei Divine Dynasty has nothing to do with you."
Qi Yichen sneered, "Nonsense! This is a matter of the Great Wei Divine Dynasty in the Ancient Realm. What does it have to do with my Ancient Divine Sect? Don't make false accusations."
Gu Yuanqing said calmly, "It doesn't matter whether you acknowledge it or not. You're just a puppet sect leader. There's no point in talking to you. Let your ancestor come out. You're not qualified to speak to me."
Qi Yichen snorted coldly and said, "Gu Yuanqing, don't be too arrogant. My Ancient Divine Sect has stood for thousands of years. We've seen plenty of people like you. Our Ancient Divine Sect is still here, but those people have long since turned to dust. You want to see our ancestor? We'll see if you have the ability!"
As he spoke, Qi Yichen's figure disappeared.
Gu Yuanqing narrowed his eyes slightly, and suddenly raised his hand to strike out with a palm.
The palm strike transformed into a towering, majestic mountain, descending upon the ancient sacred mountain peak.
Although Beiquan Town Seal has no magic treasures in the ancient world, this seal technique still has 30% of the power of a great seal.
As the great seal descended, ripples spread across the ancient mountain peak, and an invisible barrier appeared, blocking the seal from above. The barrier slightly sank, and an invisible shockwave rippled in all directions.
This move was merely a test, to determine whether the power of the ancient god mountain formation in this ancient realm surpassed that of the Primordial Realm.
"The ancient sacred mountain in the Primordial Realm can be considered the source and ancestral vein of the Primordial Realm, but this magic array is not as good as this one. Interesting!"
Gu Yuanqing raised his sword finger again, and the sword energy of the Myriad Manifestations of Calamity fell into the mountains.
However, when the sword energy enters, it is like a mud ox entering the sea; although it may stir up some waves, it ultimately disappears without a trace.
Qi Yichen stood atop the mountain, his figure appearing and disappearing amidst the clouds and mist, and sneered, "Gu Yuanqing, if this is all you've got, you'd better leave now! Otherwise, show me your true strength!"
Gu Yuanqing suddenly chuckled: "You, a mere Shattering Heaven Realm cultivator, dare to speak like that? I didn't attack you earlier simply because I was too lazy to bother with you."
As he spoke, Gu Yuanqing's eyes sparkled, and his Void-Piercing Heavenly Eye locked onto Qi Yichen.
The two locked eyes, and Qi Yichen suddenly felt Gu Yuanqing's pupils suddenly become infinitely large, filling his entire field of vision. The next second, he felt everything around him become ethereal and dim, enveloped by a world of starlight.
Then these starlight beams transformed into sword energy and slashed at him.
Qi Yichen's expression changed drastically. He made a hand seal, and the Qiongtian Wanhua Difeng Seal appeared, enveloping his body in azure gale.
But the next moment, his body suddenly stiffened, and he felt countless sword energies being born from his body, tearing his body apart.
He roared, and the Qiongtian Wanhua Zhifeng Seal shone brightly. He transformed his body into the wind and used the mountain's magic array to suppress himself. At the same time, the mountain was shrouded in clouds and mist, severing cause and effect and cutting off the outside world's view. Then, the blue gathered into a vortex, and his body condensed again.
But his face was deathly pale. He was not immortal; he had only escaped this calamity by using a secret technique within the Qiongtian Wanhua Chifeng Seal.
The other ancient divine sect cultivators around were greatly shocked.
"Sect Master, what's wrong?"
Just as Qi Yichen was about to speak, his expression changed again. Infinite sword energy was born from his sea of consciousness, instantly shredding this ancient body into dust.
The azure winds scattered, but this time, he did not come back to life.
"Combining the power of the Taixu Creation Wheel with the Tribulation Control Sword will be truly useful in this Ancient Realm and the Linglong Realm!"
Gu Yuanqing smiled and looked away. He could sense that the magic array in the Ancient God Mountain was fluctuating, but it had not affected its foundation.
The pervasive mist blocked his ability to see through the Void Eye, so he didn't make another move.
It would be difficult for the main body to break through this formation even if it forced its way through with the power of this clone alone.
The ancient realm is too special. Divine souls can enter, and power can be sent through the Heavenly Fishing Technique, but physical objects such as magical treasures are difficult to send.
Moreover, now is not the time to take action!
He then looked at the Ancient Boundary Platform.
He had been here many times before, but each time he was drawn in by the rules of the Linglong Realm, and the reality of actually standing here was completely different.
At the same time, Gu Yuanqing remained very cautious. The Ancient Realm Platform was under the control of the Ancient Divine Sect, and he didn't know if it might have other hidden methods.
If he could kill a cultivator like Qi Yichen with ease, he would naturally not be afraid. However, Zhuo Ming personally took action to suppress the demon of the Abyss last time, which means that these old guys at the True God level from the Primordial God Sect can also enter the Ancient Realm.
But now it seems these old guys have no intention of making a move here, otherwise they wouldn't have remained silent until now.
Suddenly, Gu Yuanqing turned around and looked back.
Three thousand miles away, Zhou Wei roared and finally broke through the sword formation. Then, wielding the Sword of Cause and Effect and manipulating the Mountain and River Seal, he attacked Gu Yuanqing above the Ancient Realm Platform.
Gu Yuanqing's figure flashed, and he was once again a thousand miles away, but far away from the Ancient God Mountain.
He then unleashed a palm strike, slapping back the Mountain and River Seal that was turning to suppress him.
He then pointed his sword again, using the Dao of Creation to dissolve the sword of cause and effect.
The Nine Realms Binding Net appeared from beneath his feet, attempting to trap him.
With a single sword strike, he tore a hole in the Heavenly Net, and his body suddenly became ethereal. The Nine Realms Binding Net swept over him, but it couldn't trap him at all.
A moment later, he took another step back, shattering the void and traveling another three thousand miles away. At the same time, the clone that had just fought Zhou Wei transformed into a stream of light and flew over, merging with his body.
After several unsuccessful moves against Gu Yuanqing, Zhou Wei's expression turned serious. He did not pursue further and instead asked sarcastically, "Why don't you dare to go into the mountains?"
Gu Yuanqing smiled and said, "Based on your strength, you could have broken through that sword formation in half an incense stick's time at most, but you used a whole incense stick's time."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Wei's pupils narrowed slightly, and the emotion on his face slowly vanished, replaced by indifference: "So, you came here not to enter the Ancient God Mountain at all, but to test my Great Wei Dynasty?"
Gu Yuanqing said calmly, "It's always good to take a look around, so as not to get involved in things you shouldn't get involved in."
Zhou Wei said, "Some causes and effects cannot be avoided just because you want to. When you control the power of the Taixu Creation Wheel, you are destined to be involved in it. Even if you become a true god and leave the Linglong Realm, it will still be the same!"
Gu Yuanqing sighed softly, "It seems I was right, there's a lot more to this than meets the eye!"
"So what if you guessed it? This world is a game of chess, and we are all in it. Even the Great Wei Dynasty is deeply involved, let alone you. Even if you don't go into the mountains now, what difference does it make? Gu Yuanqing, you can't escape!" Zhou Wei laughed maniacally, then coughed violently at the end. "Are you finished?"
Gu Yuanqing remained calm. He could tell that Zhou Wei must know a lot of things, and it seemed that all of this was related to the power of the Taixu Creation Wheel.
Zhou Wei's smile gradually faded, his expression returning to its icy coldness as he looked at Gu Yuanqing with a hint of mockery and pity: "You can be considered a prodigy, but unfortunately, you were born in the wrong place."
Gu Yuanqing said calmly, "If you've finished speaking, I won't keep you any longer!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his figure suddenly disappeared.
Zhou Wei looked out over a thousand miles and could see Gu Yuanqing's figure receding into the distance.
However, he did not chase after him, because he could not catch up with him at all, and even if he did, he would be powerless to stop him.
His body hunched over again, and he chuckled as he looked in the direction Gu Yuanqing had gone, "You can escape for a while, but can you escape forever? Unless you're willing to relinquish the power of the Tai Xu Creation Wheel, otherwise..."
……
Within the North Spring Cave.
Gu Yuanqing withdrew his clone that had entered the ancient realm.
He frowned slightly, his heart not as calm as Gu Jie appeared.
"This person should be the Director of the Astronomical Bureau of the Great Wei Dynasty. What exactly does he mean by his words?"
Gu Yuanqing raised his hand, and the Taixu Creation True Talisman appeared in his palm, the light it emitted intertwining to form the shape of the Taixu Creation Wheel.
"If what he said is true, then the power of the Taixu Creation Wheel may be closely related to the current state of the Ancient Realm. In that case, my previous warning to my Dao Heart was correct."
Gu Yuanqing did not try to ask Zhou Wei, because if the ancient cultivators did not want to talk, no amount of coercion would work.
Taking it out of the ancient realm might be something to try, but Gu Yuanqing would find it difficult to do, or rather, even if he could, he wouldn't touch these taboos now.
In that case, it would be very likely that, just like completely killing the people of the ancient realm, they would be prematurely drawn into unknown troubles.
Gu Yuanqing put away the Taixu Creation True Talisman and walked through the mountains while pondering. Finally, he arrived at the top of the cliff and looked at the cave view from afar.
"Judging from all the speculations, there is a big problem here. If it really comes down to it, then we will have to consider abandoning the Qian Yuan Realm."
However, before that, I need to achieve the perfect balance of Yin and Yang in the Northern Spring Grotto, transforming the grotto into a world. Only then will I truly be able to move freely.
"For now, there shouldn't be any trouble. The Ancient Divine Sect and the Great Wei Divine Dynasty should have deep connections. If the power of the Void Creation Wheel that I control is truly related to the cause of the current state of the Ancient Realm, then my current strength is not enough to intervene."
Just then, a graceful figure suddenly appeared beside Gu Yuanqing, standing shoulder to shoulder with him. Turning her face to look at Gu Yuanqing, she said, "What happened? You seem a little serious, and even the atmosphere in the mountains has become tense."
Gu Yuanqing was slightly taken aback, then smiled apologetically: "I was thinking about something and forgot to control my aura."
Only then did Gu Yuanqing realize that the entire Beiquan Cave was very quiet. Even the usually carefree, round-faced children, who would eat and sleep, were looking around in surprise.
The cultivators in Beiquan Mountain felt a sense of oppression, and many were awakened from their meditation.
With a thought, the entire cave returned to its original state, and many Qian Yuan Sect cultivators breathed a long sigh of relief.
Li Chengyi also sensed that something was wrong in the mountains. He was about to rush to the main peak when he found that things had returned to normal and saw his father and mother standing together, so he stopped.
"Is it related to the ancient world?" Li Miaoxuan asked.
Gu Yuanqing nodded gently and recounted what had happened that day.
Li Miaoxuan said, "It seems that not everyone in the ancient world is completely unaware of how a world has been transformed into this state. It's just that only the high-ranking officials and great cultivators of the Great Wei Divine Dynasty know about it."
Gu Yuanqing nodded: "It should be above the level of demigod."
“To make such a person neither alive nor dead, almost eternally unchanging, let alone a true god, even someone on a higher level would find it difficult to do so. Although I have never been to the Ancient Realm, judging from various descriptions, this realm is almost boundless in size. What kind of power could cover an entire realm?” Li Miaoxuan also frowned slightly.
"Unfortunately, we know too little information," Gu Yuanqing said.
Li Miaoxuan asked, "Last time you said you were going to ask Zhuo Ming, did he say anything?"
Gu Yuanqing shook his head and said, "He didn't say. Moreover, I sensed it with the Divine Intent Spirit Analysis Technique, so he probably doesn't know much. Perhaps the only one in the Ancient Divine Sect who truly knows the inside story is the Great Venerable they speak of."
"So what are you planning to do next?" Li Miaoxuan asked.
Gu Yuanqing smiled and said, "What else can we do? We'll deal with whatever comes our way. If they want to use me to do something, they won't act so quickly. Improving our strength is the key. Without strength, thinking too much is useless. If we really have no other choice, we'll leave this Linglong Realm. What do I care about karma? It has nothing to do with me!"
“That’s true!” Li Miaoxuan said.
……
Gu Yuanqing put the matter of the ancient realm aside for the time being. There was no point in thinking about it now. Even if he knew the secrets, he would not have the strength to solve it. He should focus his attention back on cultivation.
He originally thought that achieving the status of a Void Immortal could be postponed, but some events that occurred in the Ancient Realm made him feel a sense of urgency again.
Life in the mountains seemed to have returned to its former tranquility. He comprehended the Great Dao every day, allowing his own Dao River to resonate with the Great Dao River of the Spirit Realm, using it as a mirror to sort out his own Dao.
The aura of the Dao Source True Seed grew stronger day by day, and before he knew it, he had reached the mid-stage of the Void Immortal realm.
Li Miaoxuan settled down permanently in Beiquan Mountain, only occasionally returning to Lingxu Sect to handle some affairs.
As she achieved the status of a Void Immortal, calls for her to succeed as sect leader grew louder and louder within the sect. Even Ye Zhenghong intended to step down from the position of sect leader, but she refused.
He even refused an invitation to fellow cultivators from all over the world to hold a banquet for the illusory immortals.
Compared to these things, she cared more about her own strength, especially given the threat from the Ancient Divine Sect and the Great Wei Divine Dynasty.
However, she did take in two disciples within the Lingxu Sect. Both of them were children with extraordinary talent. Mu Chuxia usually taught them on weekdays, but every few months she would personally test and guide them.
The threat of the Heavenly Demons in the outer battlefield was quelled because Gu Yuanqing killed the Giant Demon Lord's clone last time, and Li Miaoxuan later killed two Chaotic Undying Great Demons.
The Heavenly Demons at the Undying level of Chaos have all disappeared without a trace. There are only occasional Heavenly Demons at the Shattered Heaven level, but they are no longer a major threat.
In the spirit realm, the battle between good and evil has gradually come to an end. Of the once invincible top evil sects, only the Yin-Yang Sect still opens its doors to recruit disciples, but it keeps an extremely low profile in its daily operations.
Other sects either disappeared into the void or sealed their own gates, and the spirit realm was restored to the order dominated by the righteous sects.
Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye. Ling Zun, Ji Shan, Xuanji Tianjun and other great cultivators who had been on good terms with Gu Yuanqing came to visit Qian Yuan Island together.
(End of this chapter)