Above the vault of heaven, inside the nearly collapsed [Dongyang Blessed Land], Chong Guang stood with his hands clasped behind his back. His gaze, filled with unwillingness and reluctance, was fixed on that star in the sky.
[Overturning Lamp Flame].
Even now, that fruit of Dao still shone for him. Yet, he had no strength left to merge with it. All he could do was watch helplessly as its light gradually dimmed. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
Lowering his head, Chong Guang looked at his four innate divine abilities, only to see that the [Yin Dragon Water], which he had already reversed back to Yang Earth, was once again exuding traces of Yin Qi. These threads of Yin Qi were impossible to eliminate. It was precisely this lingering Yin Qi that caused his second attempt to end in failure once more.
"One misstep leads to a thousand miles of difference. Truly worthy of being a True Lord of the Primordial Saint Sect!"
In truth, the True Lord who had reversed the [Earth of Chen] had already completed all the necessary steps. The depth of that arrangement had likely spanned thousands of years, with a foundation beyond imagination.
"In comparison, I acted on a mere whim."
Thinking of this, unwillingness once again surfaced in Chong Guang's eyes. Yes, it had been nothing but a whim. If he had made preparations in advance as well, the outcome might not have been like this!
"I have already reversed the attributes of most of the world's [Earth of Chen]. The fact that I could achieve this proves that the foundation of that mysterious True Lord is still unstable. Perhaps he began reversing the [Earth of Chen] thousands of years ago, but truly completing the reversal to transform Yang Earth into Yin Earth couldn't have happened more than a hundred years ago!"
If only he could return to a hundred years ago, the situation would undoubtedly be entirely different!
After all, even with such hasty improvisation, he had nearly succeeded.
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By leveraging the treasure of the fruit of Dao to pry open the [Overturning Lamp Flame] and reversing the world's [Earth of Chen] back to Yang, he had almost achieved it. Yet, he had been missing just one thing.
The original [Yin Earth of Chen].
That mysterious True Lord's initial reversal of the Yin and Yang of the [Earth of Chen] had served as the foundation for reversing all of the world's [Earth of Chen]. Chong Guang had been unable to locate the True Lord's position.
And this was where he had failed.
At the final moment, the mysterious True Lord used that original [Yin Earth of Chen] to influence Chong Guang's [Yin Dragon Water], causing him to fall short of success.
With this thought, Chong Guang glanced once more at the land below:
"The last piece of [Earth of Chen], the original [Yin Earth of Chen]—where have you hidden it?"
At this moment, he stood overlooking the world with the perspective of a True Lord. Nothing in either the mortal world or the Foundation Establishment Realm should have been able to escape his gaze. Yet, he could not locate the True Lord's presence. All the [Earth of Chen] within his sight had already returned to Yang, with no trace of Yin Earth to be found.
"Could it be…"
In an instant, Chong Guang's gaze shifted slightly as if he had realized something. His eyes lit up for a moment but then dimmed again:
"Useless. This is a dead end after all."
However, Chong Guang quickly pulled himself together.
He made a quick calculation, then looked back. He saw that the heavy aura of fate and merit, which had once symbolized his innate celestial spirit heritage and had always hung behind his head, had completely vanished.
"Still not used to this feeling."
Chong Guang smiled and calculated the outcome he had expected:
"By the looks of it, after death, I'll probably have to live through a hundred and forty-seven lifetimes as a pig or a dog before I can be reborn as a human again."
Despite these words, there was not a trace of resentment on Chong Guang's face. Instead, the corners of his mouth lifted with a self-mocking smile:
"From an innate celestial spirit to a reincarnated pig or dog—I'm probably the only one to ever achieve such a feat. The good news is, pigs and dogs die quickly. One hundred and forty-seven lifetimes... isn't actually that long."
In other words, this was the end for him.
Even though he had already refined Metal Qi at the peak of Foundation Establishment, it was now completely useless.
Because a True Lord's Metal Qi would have already merged deeply with their soul, inseparable from their being, thus leaving no fetal mysteries.
However, the Metal Qi of a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator still existed as an external entity, which would be stripped away in the cycle of reincarnation. So even a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator could only live up to five lifetimes.
Moreover, his Metal Qi had already been completely expended when he promoted the Blessed Land.
If he wanted to survive, he would need a True Lord willing to protect his soul with their own Metal Qi through the cycle of reincarnation. Yet, his path had already been sealed. He held no further value to any True Lord.
After all, the [Overturning Lamp Flame] had been cut off, and no one could testify for him.
In such circumstances, even Qingcheng Feixue True Lord, who had supported him the most, would not intervene. This was the Primordial Saint Sect—there was never any talk of compassion here.
"…So be it."
Chong Guang quickly sorted out his emotions:
"Reincarnation will cleanse my soul. When I am reborn, the traces of my Dao should have mostly faded."
By then, he could choose another path.
"Thinking of it this way, perhaps it's not such a bad thing after all."
Though by that time, the consciousness that belonged to "Chong Guang" would likely have completely dissipated, replaced by an entirely new life and consciousness.
But so what?
Chong Guang let out a calm laugh:
"If I attain the true fruit, whether it is the original me or another me, it is still me.
If I do not attain the true fruit, whether it is the original me or another me, it makes no real difference."
"Enough... The sooner I go, the sooner I return."
As these words fell, Chong Guang's figure dissolved beneath the last ray of brilliance from the [Overturning Lamp Flame], like a fleeting dream, shattering into a sky full of colored clouds.
Yet just before completely collapsing, driven by a desire for revenge against the mysterious True Lord who had cut off his path, Chong Guang still managed to cast one last wisp of divine sense.
Looking at the gradually vanishing [Overturning Lamp Flame] in the sky, and the collapsing, disintegrating [Dongyang Blessed Land] merging into the heavens and earth, Lü Yang could not help but sigh.
Thinking back on all that Chong Guang had gone through, he couldn't help but curse under his breath:
"…Beast!"
What a cursed place this was—forming a Golden Core was absurdly difficult here. Every step was a trap, and one wrong move would lead to the same fate as Chong Guang, falling into eternal damnation.
Thinking of this, Lü Yang felt a wave of sorrow well up within him. If it were him, after finally reaching peak Foundation Establishment, spending countless years gathering the required Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend elements, refining innate divine abilities, believing he could finally reach the Golden Core stage, only to discover at the last moment that something had gone wrong with the elements… and with the Dao being merciless and irreversible—
'…Oh right, I can restart, can't I?'
Then there was no problem at all!
With that thought, Lü Yang quickly calmed himself.
Dao is merciless? Not for me! As long as I am willing to walk the path, it lies right beneath my feet!
However, at that moment, Lü Yang suddenly froze.
In the next second, he took out the [Invisible Sword], a superior spiritual sword whose material had come from Chong Guang True Person's celestial spirit body—a strand of Xin Metal Qi.
At this moment, that strand of Xin Metal Qi began to emit a faint glow.
'Is this… Chong Guang's final message?'
Lü Yang was stunned and was about to use his divine sense to investigate when a slightly hoarse, cold voice suddenly rang in his ear:
"What did Chong Guang tell you?"
Lü Yang's expression immediately stiffened. Only then did he come to his senses and slowly turn around.
Behind him, without his notice, stood a palace-robed woman, her entire body stained with blood and her clothes torn. Though her appearance was battered and worn from battle, her demeanor was incomparably dignified. There was not the slightest hint of madness. Instead, she looked like a graceful lady preparing to attend a banquet.
—Qingcheng Feixue True Lord!
"Disciple greets True Lord!"
Without hesitation, Lü Yang immediately presented the [Invisible Sword].
"Disciple has yet to inspect the message left by Uncle-Master Chong Guang. I ask True Lord to see for yourself."
"Chong Guang… what a pity."
Upon hearing this, Feixue True Lord shook her head. She glanced at the [Invisible Sword] casually and sighed:
"Nothing useful. It's no longer relevant."
"If it had come a hundred years earlier, there might have been a chance to turn things around."
Oh?
Lü Yang's heart stirred slightly. A hundred years ago… wasn't that precisely his first anchor point, shortly after joining the sect as a Talent?
While committing this crucial piece of information to memory, Lü Yang also glanced at the [Invisible Sword].
Perhaps because Chong Guang had little time left, the message he left through the [Invisible Sword] was very simple—just four words, clear and concise:
"It is in the [Netherworld]."