Her master had fought a desperate battle to the death against that Dark Being just to buy her time to escape, only to fall in defeat and perish.
For all these years, she had been cultivating bitterly, seeking an opportunity to kill that Dark Being and avenge her master.
The reason she was pursued by Xun this time was that she had found a supposed opening and attempted an assassination, but she had still overestimated her own strength. Had she not been rescued by the people of the Crescent Moon Sect, she likely would have died in its maw and followed her master to the Yellow Springs.
The members of the Crescent Moon Sect fell into a heavy silence after hearing her story, feeling a deep sense of empathy. It reminded them of the situation at their own sect—if their Sect Master and Ancestors had not stalled for time, where would they be now?
They felt a surge of compassion for this woman named Qing Nan.
"I only hate that my cultivation is too meager. I am truly powerless to avenge my master; otherwise, I would surely slay that Dark Being with my own hands..." the green-robed woman sighed, her tone carrying a deep sense of powerlessness and resignation.
"Young lady, if you insist on revenge now, it would be no different from striking a stone with an egg. There is no chance of victory. It is better to continue lying low and cultivating, 'sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall,' until you are stronger to seek another chance," an elder of the Crescent Moon Sect advised.
The others nodded in agreement.
Qing Nan's eyes flickered with bitterness as she shook her head. "This failed assassination has likely made Xun suspicious. It will surely send its subordinates everywhere to track me down. There will likely be no place left for me in the Gou Xuan Great World."
She gazed toward the edge of the Gobi desert, filled with remembrance and sorrow. Beyond the horizon lay endless mountain ranges; it seemed that somewhere within them was the secluded place where she and her master once practiced the Dao.
Seeing this, the people of the Crescent Moon Sect hesitated, their hearts moved. Qing Nan was at least an existence in the Dao Realms with decent cultivation, and she shared their plight as a wanderer. Why not take this chance to invite her to join them? It would add another layer of mutual protection.
However, while they were willing, they doubted she would agree. Joining them meant leaving the homeland she had lived in her whole life, with no telling when she might return.
"Thank you all for saving my life. I have no precious items on me now, only a few pieces of Variant Dao Sources left by my master. I shall give them to you as a token of thanks."
Qing Nan seemed to snap back from her memories, regaining her composure. With a slight smile and clear eyes, she pulled several pieces of Dao Source emitting a soft glow from her robe and handed them over.
"Young lady, you mustn't. Right now, Dao Sources are exceptionally precious to you. In the event of a life-threatening crisis, they could be your chance to survive," the elders of the Crescent Moon Sect quickly declined.
Though Variant Dao Sources were rare, how could they feel right accepting them under these circumstances? Moreover, it was the mysterious white-robed senior by Gu Xian'er's side who had actually performed the rescue.
Qing Nan smiled faintly. "To me, Dao Sources are already external possessions. I don't know which day I might be gone; keeping these by my side is useless. I think they would be of more use to you."
Despite her words, the group still refused to accept them.
Subsequently, an elder spoke up, suggesting that Qing Nan travel with them. He argued that staying here would not be safe, as the surrounding cosmic great worlds had long since fallen to the Dark Beings. If she truly wanted revenge, she should stop acting rashly and wait until her cultivation grew stronger.
Qing Nan fell into silence, seemingly torn and hesitant, still clinging to her attachment to this homeland.
The people of the Crescent Moon Sect understood her well. If it were them, forced to leave the land where their ancestors had lived for generations, they would also be unwilling.
But what choice was there? Such was the current trend of the world. The torrent of the era rolled on; a single grain of sand or speck of dust falling on an ordinary person's head was a mountain they could not bear. What could an ordinary person do or change in the face of such a tide?
"I will go with you."
Finally, after a long silence, the green-robed woman spoke, accepting the suggestion. Before leaving, however, she wished to see the mountain peak where she and her master once lived one last time.
The group did not refuse her request, finding it only natural.
Gu Xian'er also felt an inexplicable favorable impression of this uniquely tempered woman. There was a sense of the "purity" of a true Daoist about her—returning kindness, not vying for gain, and being indifferent to fame and fortune.
A few days later, the group, now including the green-robed woman, left the region. During that time, they accompanied her to the mountain peak. The surroundings had collapsed, bearing the scars of a previous, devastating battle. Qing Nan did not step onto the shattered peak; she merely watched from afar in silence for a long time before turning away.
The Blue Cloud Boat transformed into a blurred streak of light, receding rapidly through the space-time tunnel.
After leaving the Gou Xuan Great World, the group encountered no further pursuit from Dark Beings, and the journey became calm and peaceful. Song Yu followed the path in his memory, leading everyone toward the Nine Heavens.
Meanwhile, across the Vast Expanse, the situation remained turbulent. Various news reports spread, causing waves of panic among the various races.
Some said a decisive battle was about to erupt between the Heaven-Slaying Alliance and the Alliance of Righteous Unity, and that the high-level leaders of the latter had decided to join forces with the Dark Beings to deal with the former.
Others claimed that the Leader of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance had summoned and subdued many Forbidden Zone Overlords; with experts as numerous as clouds, they were currently massing for a direct strike on the headquarters of the Alliance of Righteous Unity.
Furthermore, experts from the Heaven-Slaying Alliance had appeared in various places. Cultivators had spotted them within the territories of the Samsara Holy Realm, the Ancient Hidden Civilization, the Ancient Southern Zhao Kingdom, and the Evernight Immortal Dynasty.
No one knew what signal this sent. It was well known that the current Leader of the Alliance of Righteous Unity was none other than the ruler of the Evernight Immortal Dynasty, Immortal Emperor Wei Yang. Moreover, the Ancient Southern Zhao Kingdom had already become a member of the Alliance of Righteous Unity.
Could this be a show of force by the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, trying to pressure these forces to break away from the Alliance of Righteous Unity?
Deep within the Alliance of Righteous Unity, palaces stood one after another in grand majesty. A boundless, wide star river stretched across the heavens, piercing through one universe space-time after another.
The various races and Daoist lineages that had migrated here had successively found new settlements and begun to restore their vitality. Along this star river, the scenery was as brilliant as the morning glow; ancient life-stars had been moved here, along with various primordial continents full of lush greenery.
In the central star river, a great master had even relocated an ancient World Tree. Dense Ancestral Dao level matter swirled around it; each leaf was vast and massive, and their rustling sounded like the collision of worlds, scattering Dao laws everywhere.
Wisps of mist drifted through the depths of the alliance.
The Leader of the Alliance of Righteous Unity, Jiang Yun (Immortal Emperor Wei Yang), dressed in plain clothes with his hands behind his back, gazed deep into the Heavenly Pool, seemingly lost in thought.
Behind him, many high-level members of the alliance—including many in the Ancestral Dao realm—had gathered. The water of the Heavenly Pool before them was crystal clear and wreathed in chaotic mist, reflecting the scenes of various universes.
"The Dark Beings truly do not keep their word, still harvesting many cosmic civilizations without restraint. Truly hateful," someone sighed.
"Darkness cannot be extinguished unless the source is found and uprooted; otherwise, there is no way."
"Repeated retreat and concession will only fuel the enemy's arrogance."
"That may be, but this peace treaty at least bought us time for the migration. Many races and lineages were preserved because of it," the person beside him added.
The internal state of the Alliance of Righteous Unity was not as stable or unified as outsiders imagined; conflicting voices were common. Since the establishment of the peace treaty, internal disputes had been frequent. Jiang Yun had called multiple meetings to deliberate and decide on policies.
Jiang Yun looked at the pool calmly, silent, his eyes flickering with thought.
During this period, the conflict between the Heaven-Slaying Alliance and the Alliance of Righteous Unity was at its peak.
Paradoxically, the Dark Beings stood by as the third party, watching the "snipe and clam fight" to reap the benefits.
The original intent of the Alliance of Righteous Unity was to resist the Dark Beings and restore order, giving the various races a peaceful and stable world. Yet, in the end, it was they who first sought peace, signing humiliating treaties and ceding territory to the Dark Beings. Not only did they surrender vast lands, they even provided the "nutrients" and "sacrifices" needed for the Grand Sacrificial Ritual.
To this day, various True Worlds and regions still rang with voices cursing and spitting on the Alliance of Righteous Unity.
In contrast, while the actions of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance couldn't be called righteous, they were indeed the only power currently resisting the Dark Beings in these turbulent times. Consequently, they had become the only sanctuary for those wishing to fight back. Before, it was a matter of reluctance; now, there was no other choice.
However, as rumors spread across various True Worlds regarding the Alliance of Righteous Unity being infiltrated by and having already sided with the Dark Beings, the situation intensified.
Some ethnic groups and forces speculated that within the current Vast Expanse, there was actually a hidden Fourth Power. It was just that this power was very adept at hiding, remaining behind the scenes and never showing its face.
Previously, it was precisely this Fourth Power that leaked various secrets about the Dark Beings and the Organization of Heavenly Substitutes. The news that the Dark Beings intended to resurrect the Lord of the Heavenly Substitutes was likely also leaked by this hidden power.
"Currently, the public opinion regarding our Alliance of Righteous Unity across the Vast Expanse is quite poor. There is also a suspected Fourth Power interfering in the shadows, adding fuel to the fire with malicious intent."
"Leader, in our view, a direct confrontation with the Heaven-Slaying Alliance is not a wise move. It would be better to take this chance to find those rats hiding in the dark and wipe them out in one go," an Ancestral Dao existence suggested.
Jiang Yun merely glanced at the man and said nothing. He knew what they meant—fighting the Heaven-Slaying Alliance would inevitably lead to casualties and losses. They couldn't let the hard-won stability be destroyed like that.
What had they sacrificed so much for? Was it not for the survival of their lineages and to keep them safe from the Dark Beings? Now that the goal was achieved, why fight for supremacy with the Heaven-Slaying Alliance?
Meanwhile, that Fourth Power behind the scenes was clearly a "soft persimmon" that could be easily squeezed. Moving against them would uphold the alliance's prestige and deter other small-time troublemakers.
But these fellows had forgotten that the very reason the Alliance of Righteous Unity was founded was to deal with the Heaven-Slaying Alliance. The peace treaty with the Dark Beings had actually been decided long ago. It was a necessary price to stabilize the Dark Beings.
"The time is nearly here. There is no need for panic or frustration. Endure the Heaven-Slaying Alliance for a little longer; they won't be arrogant for much longer..." an existence with deep eyes and an aura as unfathomable as the vast sea suddenly spoke.
The Ancestral Dao elder who had spoken earlier glanced at this person and fell silent. This was the master of the Star-Exterminating Manor of the Endless Yang True World, now a Vice Leader of the Alliance of Righteous Unity. Having passed eight Heavenly Decline Tribulations, he was a figure of true power.
At the same time, in the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, within that pure land planted with peach blossoms, the petals were still falling in brilliant profusion. The vibrant petals drifting from the sky gave off a beautiful yet mournful feeling.
"I didn't notice before, but seeing them now, the peach blossoms are actually quite beautiful." Ji Hanjing walked over, pausing under a peach tree before speaking softly.
Deep within the peach garden sat that same quiet courtyard. Gu Changge seemed to have known she would arrive and had been waiting for her.
"Thank you." Ji Hanjing appreciated the blossoms for a moment, then walked over to look at him, her gaze very complex.
She had seen the truth within that lost, ancient era and obtained the answer she wanted. Without Gu Changge's help, she likely would never have known the truth of it all.
"Now that you know the truth, what do you want to do?" Gu Changge asked unhurriedly.
A chessboard still sat before him, but it was covered in dry leaves. He clearly hadn't moved a single piece during this time.
Ji Hanjing replied, "Revenge. It is still revenge. But this time, it is not just for myself; I will also avenge my younger sister."
Gu Changge suddenly chuckled. "Then, do you know who your true enemy is?"
After sending her to that point in space-time, he had only stayed a moment before leaving. Initially, he thought the Master of the Yinxu Cave was just an insignificant character, but in that era, he had discovered some unexpected things.
Specifically, other contingency plans left behind by the Master of the Yinxu Cave. He seemed to have foreseen a future upheaval and prepared alternative means. Even if his enemies killed him, he had a way to be reborn in that past era and return to his peak state through the current timeline.
This method piqued Gu Changge's interest, but it wasn't enough for him to be certain that the cave master was merely a puppet pushed to the forefront.
Ji Hanjing fell into thought. After a pause, she said, "I have someone in mind. Aside from that person, there should be no one else."
Her father was once the Master of the Radiant Ancestral Court, the sage once known as the Middle Sovereign.
Following the timeline, her father should have been a figure of the Innate Era, existing before the Era of Black Calamity. During that Innate Era, her father actually had a great enemy. That enemy was referred to by her father as the Lord of Fortune.
If one were to flatten the entire timeline of the Vast Expanse and divide it from before birth, it could be broadly categorized into the Innate Era and the Post-Innate Era.
The birth of the Vast Expanse was merely a major node or event within the Post-Innate Era. Everything including the current eras—the Era of Black Calamity, the Era of Extinction, and so on—belonged to the Post-Innate Era.
Before the appearance of the Vast Expanse, the heavens and earth were undivided; the universe was a chaotic, boundless muddle without so-called barriers. It was vast without limit, wide without measure, and high without end. No one could speak of the mysteries of heaven and earth or the wonders of the universe.
That era was the Innate Era in its true sense. Any rules were meaningless with no form of expression; there was no sense of time or spatial constraint. The universe was just the universe, and chaos was just chaos.
In that Innate Era, many Innate Beings, Innate Races, and Innate Gods were born. Her father was a being of that era. From the very beginning of his birth, he possessed his own Dao and was once known as the Lord of the Future.
And his great enemy was an existence named the Lord of Fortune. The two had fought for an unknown length of time in that muddled era where years were indistinguishable.
Until one day, from the deepest part of chaos, an ancient and taboo voice rang out.