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Translator: Fate
Translation Checker: Silavin
Empress Huang Yu’s rebirth was great news to the Northern Dipper Star Territory, even to the entirety of the Resplendence Universe. After all, there was finally a True Daoist in this Star Territory.
Its people might remain as insignificant as usual in the face of the vast, terrorising army, but with Empress Huang Yu’s presence, to all beings of the Northern Dipper Star Territory, she was an unimaginable ray of hope.
In God’s Ruins, Gu Changge came to his senses. He looked at Empress Huang Yu, who was outside, and subtly nodded at her. To him, she was inconsequential. If a war were to break out in the Resplendence Universe, a mere True Daoist, wouldn’t be able to do a thing. Still, since it was her of all people, Gu Changge believed he could include her in his plan.
He swung his arm and summoned a golden path that gradually expanded. The path came along with crystalline petals with a rain of light.
Naturally, without his reception, a True Daoist wouldn’t be able to approach Gods’ Ruins. After all, not only did he plant lethal traps, he also had disappearing arrays. This was another reason why no one was ever able to discover the traces and the location of Gods’ Ruins.
“Senior, you are finally willing to see me.” Empress Huang Yu looked at the golden path forming towards her and revealed an expression of joy. She then hastily descended onto Gods’ Ruins before the stupefied gazes of others.
Gu Changge was sitting under the Tree of Epoch. He was as Empress Yu Huang remembered when she was a child. His usual white robe was extraordinary and unchanged. Though, this time, she could finally see his true face.
He was as dashing as Immortals, perfectly unstained. He appeared incredibly young. It was as if the Celestial Energy of this world gravitated towards him.
“Greetings, Senior.” Regardless, she wasn’t surprised by that, as she was aware, the Lord of Gods’ Ruins might not be the one she had known, or rather, he should not be the one she had known.
After the Era of the Great Annihilation, she left Gods’ Ruins, and that was the last time she saw him.
Then, she focused on cultivation according to the cultivation methods and ancient techniques Gu Changge had taught her. Eventually, she ascended to the Nirvana Realm and became the first ever True Daoist ever since the Era of the Great Annihilation.
Later on, she attempted to look for Gods’ Ruins presence based on her memories, after which she came to the outskirts of the place and pleaded to meet with Gu Changge, only to receive no response for thousands of years. As such, she believed that Gu Changge must have died of old age. After all, no matter how overpowered his cultivation was, given the condition of the world, he couldn’t have survived for too long.
Eventually, Empress Huang Yu established the Ascension Celestial Dynasty and accepted her first disciple as she began to enlighten all beings and taught them everything she knew about cultivation in order to fulfil her obligations.
Afterwards, she revisited the outskirts of Gods’ Ruins again, persistent and hopeful that she would be able to meet her Senior again given that he, such a powerful being, must have a way to extend his life.
Alas, as she had done last time, she waited for thousands of years more, sadly to no avail.
Thus, she deduced that her Senior, instead of dying, might have left the universe a long time ago and headed to another place. As such, she attempted to track him down and departed from the Resplendence Universe.
However, in the surrounding fractured universes, she encountered massive difficulties, including atrocious world environments and its incomplete World Principles, omnipresent Mists of Chaos, and the scarcity of life-extending means.
Despite her cultivation, it was impossible for her to traverse those withered universes. Otherwise, she would either die from old age on her journey or end up being torn up apart by beasts in those withered universes and become their food due to her numbered days.
Left with no choice, Empress Huang Yu could only return alone. Before her life completely faded away, she turned towards Gods’ Ruins from far away and chose to spend her final moments silently in the depths of Ascension Celestial Dynasty with her endless regrets and disappointment.
At the brink of death, as if her energy and strength were at their peaks, she suddenly experienced an odd situation, or rather, a place.
She saw a mysterious river that was immeasurably wide. Its waves rushed vibrantly and vigorously as though it came from every corner of the skies and flowed by every world and universe.
Although she had never witnessed such a scene, in that instant, she was aware that it was the fabled River of Time—something accessible only to Immortals.
In the river, she saw the phantoms of her past and the figure in white she had been searching for her whole life.
“So… you weren’t the man I had once known.” At her final moment, with her little remaining energy, she muttered such a bitter phrase that encompassed her greatest desire that was unfulfilled despite such a long time.
Lost in thought, Empress Huang Yu had never expected that she would be reborn and resurface in the world of the living.
“It’s been a long time, Little Huang Yu.”
Gu Changge feigned a slight smile. Although it sounded odd for him to address Empress Huang Yu that way given his age, the woman didn’t think it was weird. Rather, she felt a deep, natural sense of intimacy from him. It was as though she had returned to the beginning of everything
Back then, she was merely a little girl in phoenix feathers who was clueless about cultivation and basically needed her Senior’s guidance in every step as she couldn’t remember her Seniors’ teachings despite countless reminders.
She thought her clumsiness would lead to his anger or rebuke, but that wasn’t the case. He was as gentle and patient as ever, and that to her, was nothing as simple as mentoring alone.
Although she couldn’t tell why Gu Changge would choose to return to that era solely to plant the mysterious, towering tree during that time, all she wanted to do now was to devote the rest of her life to him.
“We finally meet again, Senior…” Empress Huang Yu approached him, audibly choking on her own words, as though she returned to her child self.
She thought that, after becoming a True Daoist, she wouldn’t have to endure anymore despair, but she was wrong. Her desire to reach enlightenment was solely out of her unwillingness to let down her Senior’s teachings.
Meanwhile, Tao Yao was quietly observing the interaction. For some reason, she could see Chan Honyi’s figure within Empress Huang Yu.
[Does Gu Changge intend to correct Chan Honyi’s flaws with Empress Huang Yu? He had casually claimed that he would revive Empress Huang Yu to repay his Karmic debts, but at his current level, does he even need to worry about that? Perhaps, he simply wanted to find a reason to do so.] With such thoughts in mind, Tao Yao visibly grew even more perturbed.
Frankly, she couldn’t fathom why the Demon Lord would treat Chan Honyi the way he did.
[Was it out of whim, or was there an ulterior motive or reason? Regardless, those memories are too distant to matter at this point. Right now, Gu Changge is different from the former Demon Lord. He is the same Demon Lord, but not entirely.]
“To be honest, I wish to tell you something about the Resplendence Universe.” Gu Changge chuckled, having no intentions to reminisce with Empress Huang Yu since there was indeed nothing to talk about anyway.
Back then, he used the Spacetime Stone and the Celestial Boat of Creation to return back in time without the intention to change too much of the history. His goal was solely to spread rumours regarding the Tree of Epoch and Gods’ Ruins, make a more convincing story to draw in his prey.
Nevertheless, in a sense, Empress Huang Yu’s appearance indeed became the reason he changed the past since events in the past altered the events of the current time.
“Please do, Senior.” Upon those words, Empress Huang Yu’s face grew solemn. Although she had just been reborn, she was aware of what the Resplendence Universe was facing at the moment.
“Evacuate all the living beings of this universe,” Gu Changge softly instructed. His decision wasn’t out of benignity or the concern for possible consequences once the entire universe became a bait, but after mastering the Palm of True World, evolving it into the Palm of Demonic World, he intended to merge this universe with his Inner Universe to ensure there would be no miscalculations.
Essentially, the living beings’ presence in this universe would only affect the efficiency of the connection between this universe and Gu Changge’s Inner Universe. After all, it was equivalent to bringing real cultivators and living beings into his Inner Universe.
Since his Inner Universe had yet to fully evolve, it couldn’t contain countless living beings and cultivators as what the Ancient Universes hold.
“A great war you’re incapable of imagining will soon erupt in this universe. Anyone that remains here will only be turned to dust. And, they are all innocent,” Gu Changge continued after pondering, expressing an explanation that retained his image as a Senior.
Hearing that, Empress Huang Yu was dazed for a moment but she quickly understood his insinuation, after which she solemnly replied, “Understood. I’ll arrange the evacuation of all from the Resplendence Universe right away.”
As the well known Empress her words naturally bore fathomless weight in the Resplendence Universe.
At once, she rushed out of Gods’ Ruins with all her might, engulfing the entire Northern Dipper Star Territory, rendering all living beings, including those in Forbidden Areas, stunned.
Back when Empress Huang Yu entered Gods’ Ruins, they were all guessing what might happen next, wondering what the omnipotent, enigmatic Lord of Gods’ Ruins would say to her. All sorts of speculations and suspicions filled their minds.
“All living beings, evacuate from the Resplendent Universe at once.”
Her voice was calm, yet it bore a daunting aura as it reverberated in the sky of Northern Dipper Star Territory, and it even went past the Resplendent Universe and reached the many surrounding Star Territories simultaneously.
Meanwhile, many Quasi-Nirvana Realm experts were dumbfounded. Still, they unhesitatingly cast their divine abilities to relocate their homes along with their people to somewhere far away.
They were extremely resolute. As residents of this universe that didn’t have the formidable battle power of a True Daoist, after witnessing the scene outside Northern Dipper Star Territory, they understood that at this moment, they were no different from a puny bug. Temaining in this universe would only lead to their deaths.
Standing in the sky, Empress Huang Yu emitted a terrifying pressure that suppressed the entire world. It felt as if the world was overwhelmed by her aura.
In that instant, everyone felt a deep sense of hastiness and danger. Before that, they thought that the mysterious being in Gods’ Ruins might intervene to protect the universe, but judging by Empress Huang Yu’s tone, that was apparently impossible.
Right away, ancient battleships full of people rose to the sky from every star with life, thinking of a way to depart.
Empress Huang Yu gently sighed as she watched the scene. Honestly, she was also helpless as all she could do was use her divine sense to look after people in certain places in order to help them get on the ancient battleships and ancient flying boats. Apart from that, she was at a total loss as well.
At this point, she couldn’t even sense the presence of the Will of this universe. It was as if it had died away. Had it still existed, it might have been able to drive away the invading experts.
In the meantime, within Gods’ Ruins, Gu Changge was looking at the outside world with his deep, calm eyes, after which he began tending to his own matters.
As a matter of fact, the Will of this Universe had long been erased by him. Furthermore, he even planted Eternal Overcast Sources here. Thus, how could the universe, whose sole existence served as a prison and his divine land, have a Will of its own apart from his?
“Virtual to reality…” Gu Changge directly fused the Epoch Source of the Tree of Epoch into the universe and expanded his own Inner Universe.
*Boom!*
Following a spine-chilling explosion, a seedling manifestation sprouted and grew speedily in the Inner Universe, forming a gargantuan tree. Its branches were so enormous as though they could bear the weight of all universes.
In the sky, World Principles surged one after another before crystallising into solid, shaped matters that floated in the sky, seemingly vast and unpredictable.
The gargantuan tree manifestation then began to sway with its monumental size, covering the sky as if it could cover the entire sky while the Will of the World flowed within it.
Every piece of leaves glowed like stars, resembling Milky Ways, as they evolved in their endlessly mystifying ways.
The next moment, the tree that was formed by the Epoch Source began to expand, condensing infinite Grand Runes, as its branches extended into the invisible void.
Within the nothingness, Mists of Chaos vaporised and formed a Sea of Chaos, and within the Sea of Chaos, the branches absorbed the chaos and miniature worlds were born on each of the leaves.
Those miniature worlds were infinitely smaller than normal worlds at first. However, their birth was followed with growth and evolution, with living beings beginning to be born within them.
At Gu Changge’s will, the time in those worlds flowed erratically and millions of years passed by in the blink of an eye as civilisations speedily evolved. Every single world progressed and evolved differently, and those changes could be all traced within Gu Changge’s divine sense.
“These new-born worlds are clearly inferior to the billions of Lower Realms Worlds under the Upper Realms. but they have at least already taken shape. These are true complete worlds, with the missing portion of World Principles having been fixed by the Epoch Dao Fruit.”
Gu Changge came to a realisation—all these miniature worlds belonged to him. When what was virtual clashed with what was reality, it was the day his Inner Universe emerged.
*Boom!*
The Resplendence Universe began to tremble as ripples surged at its edge. Some kind of power seemed to be seeping through those ripples as changes to what was virtual becoming reality appeared.
The Great Dao, and its countless Principles, were all complete. Thus, even in its embryonic form, the World Principles of the worlds Gu Changge owns rivalled the World Principles of the Upper Realm.
Meanwhile, the gargantuan tree in the centre of his Inner Universe continued to grow, extending its vessel to the faraway void.
At that moment, Gu Changge was observing the changes in all things, with his expression calm—cold, even.
The Great Dao bore no emotions and deemed all things as its offerings. Or rather, he was now in that very state—fair and impartial—as his Will thoroughly became the Will of this universe.
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