Sun Qi reached out, as if to touch the sky.
Without any conscious effort, spiritual energy surged into his body, a rush of power he hadn't felt in years.
It was as if a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders, a sense of freedom he had never known.
He laughed, a harsh, guttural sound, his eyes glinting with a newfound ruthlessness.
"Family… relatives… they're nothing but shackles!"
"The Reverse Derivation of Heaven and Earth… the path to ultimate power! A power wielded by one, and one alone!"
"I am the Sun Clan! The Sun Clan is me!"
"All its prosperity… mine to command!"
He had lived his entire life in the shadow of his family, overshadowed by his more talented relatives. Now, through a cruel twist of fate, they were gone. And instead of grief, he felt… liberated.
He could even feel it – the Sun Clan's fortune, its accumulated luck, converging upon him, drawn to the last remaining member of their lineage.
"Give me ten years… no, five! I'll not only regain my former strength, but I'll surpass it! I'll reach Dao Integration!" The certainty of this future, a future painted in vibrant hues by his newfound power, made his body tremble with excitement. He wanted to laugh, to shout his triumph to the heavens.
But the sight of another silver arrow streaking across the sky silenced him, a shiver of fear running down his spine.
"Celestial Venerable protect me! Are those… invaders from beyond the Xuanhuang World?"
He glanced nervously at the White Mist Barrier, then, gritting his teeth, focused on absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy, his cultivation accelerating.
"I need to leave this place. Now."
"Those fools… captured by those… tendrils… they were supposed to help me cross the barrier. Now… I'm on my own."
His progress was rapid, his cultivation base, unburdened by the weight of his clan's misfortune, recovering quickly. Within moments, he had reached the peak of Qi Refinement.
As more and more enemy cultivators appeared in the sky above, his sense of urgency intensified.
"Enough to control a flying artifact. That's all I need."
"Crossing a single regional barrier won't cost me much lifespan."
"Once I reach Foundation Establishment, I can reassess my fortune. But I can't wait that long…"
He enveloped himself in a protective sphere of energy, then shot towards the White Mist Barrier.
As he neared the border of Shanteng Region, he saw them – figures moving within the mist.
His heart pounded in his chest, and he tried to stop, to turn back.
Too late.
"Who goes there?!"
A voice boomed, followed by a barrage of colorful attacks, each one aimed at him, their combined power overwhelming his meager defenses.
He didn't even have time to scream.
He was obliterated, his body and soul dissolving into nothingness.
"Target neutralized. All clear." Cai Yongchen, a squad leader in the Great Qi Sacred Dynasty's Third Legion, surveyed the area, then sent his report.
"Just a Qi Refinement cultivator. Probably trying to escape the fighting."
"What a waste of time. I thought we'd caught a big fish."
"Unlucky bastard. Flew right into our ambush."
"Enough chatter! Clear the area!" Cai Yongchen barked, silencing his subordinates.
He suddenly sneezed.
It felt as if… something from the dead cultivator, a fragment of his essence, had entered his body.
He paused, his senses on high alert, scanning his body for any abnormalities.
He found nothing.
But he was a disciplined soldier, trained to report even the slightest irregularities.
He meticulously documented the encounter, describing his experience, his strange sensation, and sent the report through the Sacred Emperor's network.
Then, relieved to have fulfilled his duty, he resumed his patrol.
…
Within Sun Erlang's mindscape, a constant stream of reports like this flickered, updating him on the progress of the war – the number of Sacred Army puppets and Sky-Surveying Arrows lost, the casualties suffered by the Great Qi army, the growing list of captured or surrendered Alliance forces, the production of resources back in the Sacred Dynasty…
A torrent of data, constantly updating, painting a dynamic picture of the war.
And within his mindscape, the Dao Transformation Stone, pulsing with a soft blue light, simulated the evolving battle, adjusting its predictions based on the incoming data.
Despite pockets of resistance, most of the Alliance's territory was now under the Sacred Dynasty's control.
Legacy Transmission statues in captured Celestial Cities had been sealed with the Sacred Emperor's talismans, new formations erected to consolidate their control.
"The simulations are increasingly favorable," Sun Erlang mused. "Once the situation stabilizes, we can focus on the… more challenging targets."
"Thirty-four Alliance Dao Integration experts have been confirmed. And there are… over a hundred more unaccounted for."
The sheer number weighed on him.
While the Sky-Surveying Arrows were powerful weapons, Dao Integration experts weren't stationary targets. They wouldn't simply stand there and allow themselves to be bombarded.
They would need to be contained, engaged in close combat.
Casualties were inevitable.
"Fortunately, the Rainbow Lights Beyond the Realm project drew away a significant number of their most experienced Dao Integration experts. Otherwise, this war would be far more difficult."
He studied the map, its colors shifting. Yellow for Sacred Dynasty controlled territories. Purple for Alliance controlled territories. And now… a third color. Gray. Spreading outwards from Tianling Region, consuming everything in its path.
Wherever this gray spread, victory was swift, absolute, according to the simulations.
"Dao One…"
He saw an image – a Dao Integration expert from Shanteng Region, captured by a small squad of Golden Core soldiers, their armor gleaming with the Sacred Dynasty's insignia.
The Alliance expert's Heavenly Soul was the Crimson Vine.
He had arrived too late to defend Shanteng Celestial City.
Crimson vines, thick as pythons, had erupted from the ground, their growth explosive, their movements aggressive, their strength immense, sweeping aside the Sacred Dynasty's troops like insects.
The Crimson Vine had taken root, its tendrils spreading across the region, transforming the landscape into a dense, primordial jungle.
Three legions of the Sacred Dynasty's army had been struggling against this relentless assault, their puppet armor offering little protection against the vines' searing heat and parasitic nature.
It had seemed as if this single Dao Integration expert might actually turn the tide of the battle, single-handedly reclaiming Shanteng Region.
But then… a shadow had fallen, blanketing the region in an unnatural twilight.
The crimson vines withered, their vibrant color fading, their powerful attacks weakening.
And the Sacred Dynasty's soldiers, previously exhausted, their morale flagging, were suddenly invigorated, their strength renewed.
Their attacks, now infused with this strange, shadowy energy, tore through the Crimson Vine's defenses with ease.
The wounds didn't heal. They festered, growing larger with each passing moment, as if something unseen was consuming the Crimson Vine from within.
The counterattack was swift, brutal, and decisive.
Within an hour, the massive vine, once spanning an entire region, had been reduced to the size of a man, its power extinguished.
It was captured, imprisoned within a specially designed cage, its connection to the Heavenly Dao severed, its power suppressed.
All captured Dao Integration experts were transported back to the Great Qi Sacred Dynasty, their fates uncertain.
As Dao One continued its spread, consuming region after region, the number of captured Dao Integration experts steadily increased.
With the outer regions stabilizing, the pressure on Sun Erlang eased slightly.
He rubbed his temples, his mind still reeling from the constant influx of information. He reviewed the reports once more, ensuring he hadn't missed anything.
His gaze lingered on Cai Yongchen's report, the one detailing the strange sensation after the seemingly insignificant encounter with the fleeing Qi Refinement cultivator.
He didn't dismiss it as a mere hallucination. Something about it… it bothered him.
He summoned Cai Yongchen from the front lines.
He isolated him, examining him thoroughly, searching for any trace of… anything unusual.
He found nothing.
But the unease lingered.
He sent a detailed report to the Sacred Emperor, describing the incident, his own examination of Cai Yongchen, and the nagging feeling that… something wasn't right.
The Sacred Emperor's response was swift.
"The anomaly within his body is a trace of Dispersed Essence of Heaven and Earth. Heaven and Earth… the cosmos. Essence… the source of all creation."
"It is a blessing, not a curse. There's no need for concern. However, this Dispersed Essence… it came from a deceased cultivator. It might carry… remnants of their consciousness. It is best he remains away from the battlefield for now."
Understanding dawned on Sun Erlang.
He was envious of Cai Yongchen's unexpected fortune. The Essence of Heaven and Earth was a rare and precious substance, a minor Heavenly Wonder. Even a trace amount, like the one Cai Yongchen had absorbed, could be incredibly beneficial, merging with a cultivator's Dao Foundation, enhancing their abilities.
"Return to the Great Qi Sacred Dynasty. Rest within the Palace of Hearts. Once you have fully absorbed the Essence, you may return to the battlefield."
Cai Yongchen's face lit up, his initial disappointment at being pulled from the front lines replaced by excitement.
"Hopefully, by the time I return, the war will be over," he said, bowing deeply before turning to leave.
Sun Erlang quickly assigned a replacement, ensuring the smooth functioning of the army.
This minor incident highlighted the importance of efficient communication, the need to address even the smallest anomalies.
Every detail mattered. Every advantage, no matter how small, could be the key to victory.
…
Days turned into weeks, and the outer regions of the Alliance's territory were almost completely under the Sacred Dynasty's control. Only a handful of regions remained contested.
Sun Erlang didn't order an all-out assault on these remaining pockets of resistance.
Instead, he ordered his troops to consolidate their gains, to establish fortified bases, to secure their supply lines.
Captured Alliance cultivators and resources were transported back to the Great Qi Sacred Dynasty, where preparations had been made to house and process them.
Sun Erlang's gaze turned towards the four central regions, trapped beneath the shimmering moonlight.
"Their counterattack is imminent."
He could feel it, a subtle shift in the formation's energy, a tremor in the fabric of reality.
…
At the edge of the Tianquan Region, where the moonlight touched the White Mist Barrier, Lu Xichan watched as plumes of green energy rose from the ground, obscuring the silver light. A flicker of hope lit up her eyes.
Though only eight days had passed in the real world, within the Alliance headquarters, they had run countless simulations, tirelessly searching for a weakness in the Sacred Dynasty's formation.
They had finally found one.
Since the formation was too complex to understand, too intricate to dismantle, they had abandoned the idea of breaking it directly.
Instead, they would use Essence Negating Qi, a corrosive energy that suppressed all spiritual energy fluctuations.
The constantly churning, ethereal green mist slowly enveloped the shimmering moonlight, its corrosive power weakening the formation, its silver light dimming.
It seemed as if the formation was about to collapse.
But then… the luminous disc in the sky pulsed, bathing the region in a renewed wave of silver light, replenishing the formation's power.
Even though Lu Xichan had anticipated this, even though she had ordered her formation masters to reinforce their defenses, they couldn't stop it.
The formation, only moments ago on the verge of collapse, was restored to its full power.
Lu Xichan's face was grim.
"Chief…" Her subordinates, their faces pale, their eyes filled with despair, looked at her, their hopes dashed.
"I'll retrieve the Formation Breaking Disc," she said, her voice heavy with defeat.
She transformed into a streak of light, disappearing into the sky.
Hours later, she returned, accompanied by another cultivator.
This one wore dark green robes, a mirror-like symbol etched onto their forehead, their features obscured, their gender indeterminate.
Li Fan would have recognized them instantly. A Mirror Master, a member of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's specialized formation breaking division.
The Mirror Master ignored the other formation masters, their gaze fixed on the shimmering moonlight. They nodded slowly, then bowed towards the empty sky.
The mirror-like symbol on their forehead glowed, and a white jade disc materialized before them.
The disc floated towards the descending moonlight, absorbing its power, its surface shimmering with complex patterns, visions of countless formations shifting and evolving.
The Mirror Master frowned.
They released another disc.
Then another, and another, until nine discs, identical to the first, were spinning, their combined power drawing the moonlight inwards, accelerating the simulation of formations within.
"What is that? A Formation Breaking Disc? It's… incredible."
"According to Chief Lu, it's a secondary manifestation of the Heavenly Profound Mirror. A Dissociation Disc."
"If these discs can break formations so easily… then what's the point of us formation masters?"
…
The other formation masters murmured amongst themselves, their voices laced with awe and… a hint of resentment.
Lu Xichan, her gaze fixed on the shifting patterns within the discs, remained silent, her brow furrowed in concentration.
"Venerable One, it seems…" she began, but the Mirror Master raised a hand, silencing her.
They nodded, their expression grim.
Then, after a moment of hesitation, as if having reached a difficult decision, they floated above the assembled cultivators, their body contorting into a strange, almost ritualistic pose. They bowed towards the empty sky.
As their forehead touched the ground, the mirror-like symbol blazed with light.
Nineteen phantom objects materialized before them.
More discs, similar to the Dissociation Discs, but of different colors.
A long, white jade ruler.
A green jade slip.
The nineteen phantom objects, as if possessing a will of their own, joined the nine Dissociation Discs, forming a swirling vortex of energy, their forms blurring, their outlines shifting, their shapes becoming more and more… uniform.
They began to resemble the Dissociation Discs.
And with their combined power, the simulation within the discs accelerated, the patterns shifting too quickly to track.
The Mirror Master observed the swirling patterns for a while, then spoke, their voice calm and measured. "Three days. We can create a breach."
"Then we must destroy the source." They pointed towards the luminous disc in the sky, the Great Qi Sacred Dynasty.
"I will inform the Legacy Transmission Venerables," Lu Xichan said, bowing her head respectfully.
The Mirror Master nodded, then returned their attention to the discs, their focus absolute.
The other formation masters, after a moment of stunned silence, began to whisper amongst themselves.
"Nineteen more Dissociation Discs? A single disc is already incredibly powerful. But nineteen…"
"I understand now! The Profound Azure Mirror, the Heart Measuring Ruler, the Tome of Heaven and Earth… those are all secondary manifestations of the Heavenly Profound Mirror!"
Their whispers grew louder, their excitement growing.
"Nineteen! I knew the Heavenly Profound Mirror could create secondary manifestations, but… nineteen?!"
"And they can… transform? Mimic each other's functions? That means… each one can amplify its power by… over ten times!"
Lu Xichan, hearing their excited chatter, silenced them with a cold glare. "Instead of gawking," she said, her voice laced with steel, "analyze the data. Study the formations they've managed to decipher."
"Don't think this is over," she added, her tone hardening. "If we don't reclaim those lost regions… there will be… consequences. For all of us."
Her words, her thinly veiled threat, had the desired effect. The formation masters, their earlier excitement replaced by a cold dread, turned their attention back to the task at hand.
…
On his throne, the Sacred Emperor's gaze pierced through the veil of reality, his attention fixed on the twenty-eight secondary manifestations of the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
"The Heavenly Profound Mirror… creating copies of itself, dividing its Dao…"
He nodded slowly, a grudging admiration in his voice. "Even reduced to this state… it still strives for transcendence."
"Truly a worthy artifact. A treasure of the Xuanhuang World."
He gently pushed Mao Bao back as the cat, sensing the potent energy, stirred, about to jump off his shoulder.
Mao Bao, annoyed by the interruption, nipped at his finger. The Sacred Emperor, with a sigh, produced a small ball of Source Power Essence, and the cat, appeased, settled back down, purring contentedly.
"Those are some valuable treasures down there, Sacred Emperor." One Absolute Daoist, his eyes stretched thin, extending through the portal, spoke, his voice filled with awe.
"Each one is a fragment of the Heavenly Profound Mirror's Dao, its understanding of the world."
"Some of these… they represent paths that the original mirror couldn't access, insights gleaned over millennia of observation."
"If I still possessed a physical body… I'd risk everything to obtain even one of them. Such power… it would be invaluable, even on the path to immortality!" He continued his enthusiastic commentary, as if trying to goad the Sacred Emperor into action.
Li Ping, however, remained impassive.
"I can comprehend the Dao myself, through enlightenment. I have no need for such… crutches."
"Besides," he added, a hint of amusement in his voice, "the Heavenly Profound Mirror's understanding of the Dao… it is not always accurate."
One Absolute Daoist fell silent, momentarily deflated.
"Great Sacred Emperor," he began again after a moment of awkward silence, "are you just going to… let them break through the formation? Shouldn't we… interfere? Even if we can't steal one of those… discs, delaying them would be beneficial."
"Focus on your assigned task, One Absolute," Li Ping said, his tone brooking no argument.
One Absolute Daoist chuckled nervously, then fell silent.
"That old man… he wasn't always so talkative." Tian Yang, who had been standing silently beside the Sacred Emperor, spoke, his voice soft, almost a whisper. "Those discs… they're valuable to him. I can sense it."
Several of the paper figures below nodded in agreement, but One Absolute Daoist remained silent.
"You Ten Sects… you've always been… troublesome," Tian Yang muttered.
An unseen wind swept through the throne room, the paper figures scattering, their forms buffeted by the sudden gust. Even the paper replica of the Calamity Crossing Sect's mountain gate trembled.
One Absolute Daoist waved his hand, and the paper figures huddled together, their forms interlocked, resisting the wind.
Tian Yang snorted, then turned away, his attention elsewhere.
The wind subsided.
"You've grown stronger," the Sacred Emperor observed, a hint of pride in his voice.
"Regaining your consciousness… understanding the Ancestor's memories… and your time spent within the earth's embrace, though your physical body perished… those experiences have shaped you." Tian Yang, despite his childlike form, spoke with a wisdom beyond his years. "The world changes. Time flows. Nothing remains the same."
"Speaking of which…" he continued after a moment, retrieving a small object. "Take a look at this."
It was a child's skeleton, its bones delicate, fragile.
"Isn't this… your original body?" The Sacred Emperor recognized it instantly.
"Indeed." Tian Yang's expression was unreadable.
"I can sense… a strange power emanating from it. A remnant of… my will. From before I abandoned my physical form."
"It's… different. From any technique I know."
The Sacred Emperor's expression turned serious.
He took the skeleton, his senses probing, searching for this… unknown energy.
After a while, he shook his head. "I don't sense anything unusual."
Tian Yang stroked his chin, a thoughtful frown creasing his brow. "Perhaps… this will work."
His skin shimmered, turning a brilliant shade of red-gold.
His form dissolved, merging with the newly formed red-gold armor.
The armor split into several pieces, each one flying towards the Sacred Emperor, molding itself to his form.
Within moments, he was encased in a suit of red-gold armor, its design intricate, its aura radiating power and majesty. It was as if it had been custom-made for him.
"Do not resist," Tian Yang's voice echoed in his mind.
"Experience… my life."
BOOM!
"Tian Yang, time for your medicine!"
A torrent of images flooded the Sacred Emperor's mind.
Memories. Tian Yang's memories. His entire life, from birth to death.
But this time, transmitted directly from Tian Yang's consciousness, it was as if he was experiencing these events firsthand.
His master, his fellow disciples, sacrificing themselves to protect him, their deaths fueling his desire for revenge, their love and devotion a constant reminder of his own failures.
The emotions, raw and visceral, resonated within him, shaking him to his core.
"My life… it was not in vain!"
Tian Yang's voice, no longer a whisper in his mind but a powerful roar, echoed within him.
And then… he felt it.
The strange energy emanating from Tian Yang's bones.
It was… alien. Unlike anything he had ever encountered.
Like a plum blossom blooming in the snow, it stood alone, its beauty stark, its resilience undeniable.
Though seemingly weak, it had endured for millennia, untouched by the passage of time.
"This is…"
A memory, a flicker of recognition, sparked within him.
But something, an unseen force, snuffed it out.
A sense of loss, of something important slipping away, washed over him.
He quickly regained his composure, pushing aside the strange feeling.
He tested the energy with Mao Bao, but the cat, usually drawn to anything unusual, showed no interest.
He turned to One Absolute Daoist, but the paper figures, huddled together, seemed oblivious.
"One Absolute," he asked, his voice low, "do you sense anything?"
One Absolute Daoist, surprisingly, retracted his extended eyes, their long paper tendrils snapping back, the eyes themselves floating towards Tian Yang's bones.
They circled the skeleton, their painted pupils rotating slowly.
Judging by his expression, he recognized this energy.
"I have… a theory," he said finally, his voice hesitant. "But… it might be nothing."
"Tell me," the Sacred Emperor said.
One Absolute Daoist glanced nervously at the entrance to the throne room, then leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "We in the Calamity Crossing Sect… we have a theory about the Grand Magus of Tiandu."
"The Grand Magus… he's gone. The one who imparts the Ten Sects' techniques… it's just… a remnant of his will. A lingering echo of his desire… to spread the Dao."
As he spoke these words, the paper figures huddled closer together, as if fearing some unseen presence.
"This Remnant Will… it's not a living being. It's not energy. It's more like…"
The Sacred Emperor finished his thought. "A resonance with the Dao itself."
One Absolute Daoist clapped his paper hands together. "Precisely, Sacred Emperor! Your insight is truly remarkable!"
"When the immortals perished, their Dao… it didn't vanish entirely. It lingers, woven into the fabric of reality. And those who come close to understanding its essence… they can… resonate with it."
"Within Tiandu, it's the Dao of Legacy Transmission."
"And within these bones…" he gestured towards Tian Yang's skeleton, his voice dropping to a reverent whisper, "…perhaps it is the Dao of Strife."
(End of Chapter)