Zhou Qingmu stared at the two lines of titles in the sky, her brain experiencing a full sequence of shock from "?" to "??" and finally to "???" before she completely gave up on thinking at the third question mark.
The mirror in the sky did not dissipate immediately after revealing the identities of all Dao Throne holders, but continued to hang there, allowing every cultivator in Tianque to confirm the information repeatedly.
Deep within Tianque, the atmosphere in front of the chessboard dropped to the freezing point.
The old man holding a white piece slowly lowered his hand.
A Third Realm cultivator mastering two Dao Throne Wonders.
In the normal understanding of cultivation, this phrase was roughly equivalent to "a baby who just learned to walk casually lifting two mountains."
The figure in the cloak straightened up from the rock, the half-exposed jaw beneath the hood lifting slightly: "Do you really think that is the Third Realm?"
A single suspicion had actually surfaced in the hearts of everyone present—this could never be a young man of the Third Realm.
It must be some old monster who had lived for countless years, using some method to suppress his apparent cultivation, wearing a young man's skin to hide his strength while catching others off guard in Tianque.
Such things were not rare in the cultivation world, but to be able to disguise oneself to the point that even the Dao Throne rules only displayed "Third Realm," the true cultivation behind it was likely high enough to make one afraid to think too deeply.
"Daqian's layout this time... is deeper than we anticipated."
The old man finally placed the white piece back into the chess box with a soft click.
"The chessboard has completely spiraled out of control."
The brawny body cultivator stood up, the stone stool behind him making a dull thud: "So?"
"We team up first." The old man's answer was brief and decisive: "Deal with the Daqian people first. After that, everything will depend on our own abilities."
The cloaked figure was silent for a moment before finally nodding slightly. The female cultivator with the hairpin took a shallow sip from her teacup without making a statement, while the brawny body cultivator turned and walked away from the stone table.
"Then be quick about it."
He left those four words behind as his figure transformed into a streak of light, disappearing into the depths of Tianque.
...
About half a day after the anomaly in the sky.
Gu Chengming and Xu Huayi were advancing toward the center of the secret realm.
They encountered almost no decent resistance along the way.
It wasn't that the rogue cultivators in Tianque were all dead, but rather that after the sky mirror announced the list of Dao Throne holders, everyone saw the two Dao Throne Wonders hanging next to the name "Gu Chengming" and avoided them like the plague.
There were originally a few bold rogue cultivators following from a distance, seemingly calculating if it was worth the risk, but when Gu Chengming quietly lowered the Burial Sword Tomb slightly from the clouds, those trailing auras scattered like startled birds, disappearing even faster than they had arrived.
Xu Huayi watched from the side with amazement: "Fellow Daoist Gu's method of deterrence is quite convenient; you don't even have to lift a finger."
"With the mountain sitting there, it's better not to act if I don't have to," Gu Chengming replied casually.
These words sounded like a reasonable philosophy, but Xu Huayi always felt something was off. It was only after careful thought that she realized the "mountain" he mentioned was literal.
Just as the two were about to pass through a jagged black stone forest, a ripple suddenly appeared in the void ahead.
The source of the ripple had a powerful aura that was not hidden at all, carrying an overwhelmingly sharp blade intent.
A moment later, a figure stepped out from the end of the stone forest.
Dressed in the black patrol uniform of the Night Guard Division, with the horizontal blade named "Night Severance" at her waist, her long hair was unbundled and draped casually over her shoulders, her expression cold.
Zhou Qingmu.
She walked over with large strides, her pace neither hurried nor slow, her internal energy showing no signs of restraint. The pressure of a Fifth Realm cultivator spread in all directions like a physical substance, causing the black stone ground beneath her feet to emit fine cracks under the weight.
This was the true Zhou Qingmu.
The Director of the Daqian Night Guard Division, the wielder of Night Severance, and a Fifth Realm great cultivator.
"Director," Gu Chengming saluted with cupped fists.
Zhou Qingmu walked up to the two, her eyes scanning Gu Chengming once before glancing at the sky. Although the mirror had dissipated, she remembered those two lines of titles very clearly.
"Start talking." Zhou Qingmu crossed her arms, her tone laced with helplessness: "I can accept you being the Master of the Burial Sword Tomb, but what is the deal with this 'Master of the Longevity Heaven-Devouring Dao-Trapping Flesh'?"
A dignified vice commander of the Night Guard Division was carrying such a title; anyone who didn't know better would think he had gone undercover as a high-ranking member of the Longevity Sect.
Gu Chengming fell silent.
To explain this issue, he would have to start from Jiang Yun setting the array, him using the karma teleportation, and then stacking a whole wall of special attack traits to punch a Longevity Sect elder into meat paste.
"Director..." Gu Chengming considered his wording and replied sincerely: "It is a long story."
"Never mind, then don't say it."
Zhou Qingmu sighed and waved her hand decisively, clearly not intending to dwell on this issue.
She naturally trusted Gu Chengming. Given the urgent situation, if she wanted to know the reason, she could just have Gu Chengming report his duties after everything was over.
Zhou Qingmu was currently more concerned about the situation of the Daqian group. After learning from Gu Chengming that everyone was fine and the mole had been removed, she breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a bit annoyed.
She had actually vaguely sensed that Jiang Yun had some issues, but her actions had not been decisive enough. Fortunately, Gu Chengming was there.
Gu Chengming was truly the best deputy she had encountered in all these years. She didn't even dare to think how long it would take her to adjust if she were to lose him in the future.
She really wanted Xiao Gu to be her deputy for a lifetime.
She would have to think of a way back in the capital after this matter was settled.
Unaware of the somewhat dangerous thoughts in his superior's mind, Gu Chengming shifted the topic to the question he had been concerned about.
"Director, before this, your subordinate has one thing to confirm with you."
Zhou Qingmu raised an eyebrow slightly: "What is it?"
He looked at Zhou Qingmu: "Your subordinate suspects that the Miasma Tide is not a natural disaster, but man-made."
Zhou Qingmu was silent for a few breaths before saying: "Your suspicion is correct. The Miasma Tide is not a natural disaster."
"The technique I practice is derived from the lineage of the Zhou Shrine. You should have already guessed this."
Gu Chengming nodded.
Seeing this, Zhou Qingmu continued: "The Zhou Shrine records the legacy of the Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying True Monarch. The account of the Miasma Tide in the True Monarch's biography—the sudden personality shift, the secluded cultivation, and the compilation of the rites—all of it was altered by someone."
"The true history is that after the True Monarch discovered the truth behind the Miasma Tide, he tried to hunt down the mastermind behind it. But he failed. Not only did he fail, but even his legacy and memories were tampered with."
"The Longevity Sect and the things behind them have never wanted to just create a disaster."
"What they want is to pollute the Dao Throne."
"The Dao Throne is the brand of the Heavenly Dao, the most core bond between a cultivator and heaven and earth. Once a Dao Throne is polluted or altered, it is equivalent to history itself being rewritten. And once history is rewritten, all cultivation inheritances, lineages, and laws built upon that period of history will follow suit and become distorted."
"One of my main purposes for coming to Tianque is to 'anchor' the true history within the Dao Throne."
Gu Chengming's expression became solemn upon hearing this.
If the Longevity Sect were truly allowed to pollute the Dao Throne and alter history, then the underlying lineages of the entire cultivation world would face a total upheaval.
Gu Chengming pondered for a moment, rationally analyzing the current situation: "Right now, there are at least four Fifth Realm great cultivators on the Longevity Sect's side, and you still have unhealed old injuries, Director. If we try to force our way through with just the few of us, it will likely be extremely difficult."
He then explained the situation of the Wenjian Sect within Tianque.
In fact, on the way to the core of the Zhou Shrine, Gu Chengming had already established communication through the law connection of the Burial Sword Tomb with Shen Qianqiu, the Wenjian Sect leader who was in seclusion recovering in the cavern.
Upon learning that the Longevity Sect was plotting to alter history and that the several Fifth Realm evil cultivators who had ambushed him with the Miasma Tide back then were also among the competitors, Shen Qianqiu immediately made a decision to end his seclusion and help.
With the continuous supply of top-tier sword qi from the Burial Sword Tomb, although Shen Qianqiu had not fully recovered to his peak Fifth Realm Great Perfection, he was enough to erupt at a critical moment and forcibly restrain one of the Fifth Realm great cultivators for Zhou Qingmu.
This was both to support the younger generation of his sect and to settle the blood debt of being possessed by the Miasma Tide and nearly losing his life back then.
"Sect Master Shen is willing to help?" Zhou Qingmu's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
After the few of them briefly finalized their strategy, they no longer hesitated.
Guided by the increasingly strong law indicators from the depths of the sky, they accelerated their pace and headed straight for the altar at the deepest part of the secret realm.
...
The final time limit for the third stage of Tianque quietly approached as the group advanced.
The spatial structure at the deepest part of the secret realm began to undergo violent changes. The originally chaotic sky cracked open with a massive rift, and majestic law light poured down from the rift, illuminating the area below that had never been stepped upon by any cultivator.
The Heavenly Rites Altar.
It was much simpler than Gu Chengming had imagined.
There were no magnificent palaces or layered arrays, only a square sacrificial platform built of green stones, barely ten feet high. A stone pillar stood at each of the four corners of the platform, carved with the same ancient seal script found in the murals of the Zhou Shrine.
And in the very center of the platform, a gentle golden light floated quietly.
That was the Dao Throne inheritance of the Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying True Monarch.
The old man playing chess was suspended in the void to the north of the altar, the white piece in his hand turning silently between his fingers.
Behind him, the Dao Throne Wonder composed of black and white pieces, the 【Longevity Path-Choking Chessboard】, slowly unfolded. Behind him stood three other Fifth Realm great cultivators.
Zhou Qingmu looked at those four figures from afar, weighing her chances of facing a siege by four Fifth Realm experts with her unhealed injuries.
The worst-case scenario would be to risk worsening her injuries and use the full power of Night Severance to tear an opening and force her way into the altar's core. As for whether she could come out alive... that was a matter for later.
At the same moment, a resonant sword hum suddenly came from the southern side of the altar.
That sword hum traveled from afar, carrying a familiar, orthodox Wenjian Sect sword intent that pierced through layers of spatial barriers and forcibly split the heavy atmosphere looming over the altar.
A streak of light flew rapidly from the depths of Tianque, decelerating abruptly as it approached the altar to reveal a steady figure.
Shen Qianqiu.
Although this Wenjian Sect leader's face was still somewhat pale and his aura was far from fully recovered, his gaze swept across the area, and a flash of killing intent appeared in his eyes the moment he saw the Master of the Thousand-Face World-Reflecting Mirror and the Master of the Longevity Path-Choking Chessboard.
"We meet again." Shen Qianqiu's tone was extremely flat.
The ones who had ambushed him back then were precisely these two. He had forced them back at the cost of detonating a Fifth Realm Dharma Sword, but had been polluted by the Miasma Tide as a result, nearly losing his life.
Now, it was time to settle the old debt.
"Shen Qianqiu." The cloaked figure's voice came from beneath the hood, devoid of emotion: "Are your wounds healed?"
"Whether they are healed or not..." Shen Qianqiu stood with his hands behind his back, his tone as casual as if discussing the weather: "Why don't we find out?"
The moment those words fell, Gu Chengming's mind stirred slightly.
From deep within the clouds, a low hum that was almost inaudible arrived.
The massive, iron-gray mountain hidden high in Tianque's sky began to descend slowly.
Sword qi from countless Dharma Swords seeped out from the mountain body, converging into a dense sword qi storm around Shen Qianqiu. Residual sword intent from the Fourth Realm and Fifth Realm intertwined, arming this Wenjian Sect leader to the teeth.
Although Shen Qianqiu was heavily injured, with the continuous supply of sword qi from the Burial Sword Tomb, his current combat power was enough to go toe-to-toe with a Fifth Realm great cultivator.
"Hmph!" Shen Qianqiu looked at the cloaked figure, and as a single word left his mouth, it transformed into a sword light that crashed straight toward the Master of the Thousand-Face World-Reflecting Mirror.
The cloaked figure also let out a cold snort, and countless bronze mirrors behind him rotated simultaneously to meet the attack.
At the same moment Shen Qianqiu restrained the cloaked figure, eerie dark red light suddenly lit up on the ground throughout Tianque.
The light seeped out from deep beneath the black stone ground, spreading and expanding until it connected into a network of patterns covering an extremely vast area.
This was the Longevity Sect's method.
Dozens, even hundreds of figures swarmed in from every corner of Tianque. These cultivators had varying outfits and mixed cultivations ranging from the First Realm to the Third Realm, but their faces all shared a common trait—they were empty and dazed, with a layer of unnatural dark red in the depths of their pupils.
These were the seeds the Longevity Sect had planted over many years.
These cultivators had not come voluntarily; their minds had been seized at some point by the heart-parasites planted by the Longevity Sect. Now that the parasites were activated, they were like puppets on strings, charging toward the altar tirelessly and without fear of death.
Their purpose was to delay Zhou Qingmu and buy time for the four Fifth Realm great cultivators to finish their siege.
"Just in time!"
Gu Chengming raised his right hand, fingers spread. Dark red array patterns spread from his palm, expanding rapidly on the black stone ground with him as the center.
【Longevity Heaven-Devouring Dao-Trapping Array】.
Ever since he took control of this array from Jiang Yun, Gu Chengming had been figuring out how to use it.
And now, it was time to use their own method against them!
Those incoherent cultivators were pinned down by the Longevity Heaven-Devouring Dao-Trapping Array, unable to move.
He closed his hand and looked toward the altar. The pawns were cleared, and the path was open.
Zhou Qingmu understood instantly. Night Severance left its sheath, and the sky of Tianque darkened for half a breath before being severed once more by that pure black horizontal blade.
The leading Master of the Ten Thousand Peaks Unyielding Arena crossed his arms to block, his body cultivator strength pushed to the limit as the blade met his arms.
With a crisp crack, the brawny body cultivator's arms fractured inch by inch under the erosion of the blade intent. His originally indestructible body-tempering protection peeled away like thin ice.
His body was pushed back dozens of feet by the momentum of that strike, tumbling through the void before he barely stabilized himself, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
With just one strike, Zhou Qingmu did not stop. Her second strike had already slashed toward the female cultivator with the hairpin to the west.
The face of the Master of the Hundred Herbs Life-Death Pharmacy changed dramatically as a pitch-black blade beam traced a straight line through the void toward her. The woman retreated hastily, but the blade intent had already cut into her Dao Throne Wonder. The white jade pharmacy emitted a piercing wail under the impact of the blade intent.
Between the two strikes, barely three breaths had passed.
Although the remaining brawny body cultivator and the woman had not lost their combat power on the spot, Zhou Qingmu had no intention of entangling with them.
And these two Fifth Realm great cultivators were already experiencing crashing waves in their hearts.
They had thought that with the strength of four people, even if Zhou Qingmu was the Director of the Night Guard Division, she wouldn't gain any advantage. They never expected this Daqian lunatic would completely disregard the usual rules, abandoning all defense and stalling just to tear through their line in the shortest time possible.
And in the void further away, Shen Qianqiu, with the endless sword qi of the Burial Sword Tomb, was actually gaining the upper hand in the battle against the Master of the Thousand-Face World-Reflecting Mirror.
Zhou Qingmu sheathed her blade and flashed forward, stepping into the core of the Heavenly Rites Altar.
And waiting for her there was the final person.
The Master of the Longevity Path-Choking Chessboard.
The old man still maintained his air of a transcendent being, and at some point, another white piece had appeared in his hand.
He looked at Zhou Qingmu as she entered the altar, and a trace of seriousness finally appeared in his clouded eyes.
"Zhou Qingmu, do you really think you can take that thing?"
Zhou Qingmu did not answer his question.
She simply moved forward with her blade. The old man's cultivation was profound to begin with, and his Dao Throne Wonder, the Longevity Path-Choking Chessboard, was excellent for both offense and defense.
Black and white pieces transformed into thousands of lethal moves, each falling with law-level rule power, laying down a miniature inescapable net within the square inches of the altar.
But Zhou Qingmu was stronger. The Daqian Night Guard Division only focused on one word—sever.
The old man was knocked back by a single strike, spitting out a large mouthful of blood.
"Fine blade." The old man staggered back two steps, a trail of blood hanging from the corner of his mouth, yet he began to smile.
Zhou Qingmu ignored him. She was already standing in the very center of the altar, and the golden light representing the Dao Throne inheritance was within reach.
She only had to reach out to touch it.
Zhou Qingmu took a deep breath, raised her left hand, spread her fingers, and reached toward that light.
The moment her fingertips touched the light, the entire Heavenly Rites Altar erupted with a deafening roar.
The Dao Throne inheritance of the Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying True Monarch surged into Zhou Qingmu's body like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.
Golden ancient seal script peeled off the stone pillars at the four corners of the altar, dancing and swirling around her, forming a brilliant pillar of light.
The recognition of the Dao Throne had begun.
However—
At this most critical moment, the old man suddenly laughed, and dark red light erupted from beneath his palm. That was the Dao Throne power of the Longevity Path-Choking Chessboard.
He was sacrificing his own Dao Throne Wonder. The entire chessboard shattered in the void, black and white pieces turning into thousands of light specks. But those light specks did not dissipate; instead, they were drawn by something deeper hidden within the Dao Throne inheritance, surging toward the core of the Heavenly Rites Altar like rivers merging.
They surged toward Zhou Qingmu, who was currently receiving the Dao Throne inheritance.
"The Longevity Sect has waited for a thousand years."
The old man's voice was beginning to blur, and his physical body was withering at a visible speed under the backlash of the sacrificed Dao Throne.
"Do you truly believe you can reverse this with your strength alone?"
In the face of this near-sacrificial change, the several Fifth Realm great cultivators at the edge of the altar who had intended to seize the opportunity experienced an extremely brief hesitation.
None of them were fools. Almost at the same moment the black and white chessboard shattered and turned into light surging into the altar's core, they realized they had been used as pawns.
This was not a competition for opportunity at all; the Longevity Sect had never intended to "refine" the Dao Throne from the start!
They had spent a thousand years setting up this grand scheme, even going so far as to sacrifice the life of a Fifth Realm elder and an entire Dao Throne Wonder, just to drive a thousand years of accumulated pollution into the Heavenly Dao at the moment the Dao Throne appeared!
In mid-air, the brawny body cultivator stopped abruptly. The woman's expression was also uncertain. Eventually, the two exchanged a look and decided to flee first, instantly transforming into two streaks of light and escaping.
At the same time, the pillar of light on the Heavenly Rites Altar was slowly seeped into by strands of pitch black.
Those black patterns snaked out from the inside of the Dao Throne inheritance like poisonous snakes, climbing up the golden light pillar and spreading downward, invading the ancient seal script surrounding Zhou Qingmu.
The pollution of history had erupted.
Zhou Qingmu's face instantly turned grim.
Outside the altar, Gu Chengming's face changed dramatically as he watched this.
He wanted to rush forward, but the core area of the Dao Throne inheritance was already sealed by the aftershocks of that clash. Even his Daoist Connection could not find a crack in karma within a law conflict of this level.
In the distance, the clash between Shen Qianqiu and the cloaked figure was also shocked by this earth-shaking anomaly. Both stopped simultaneously and looked toward the altar.
And that old man had now completely withered away.
"A thousand years of planning... accomplished today..."
As the ashes scattered, the old man's voice still echoed in the wind.
At the core of the Dao Throne inheritance, the brilliant golden light that was supposed to carry the lifelong legacy of the Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying True Monarch was being eroded, swallowed, and rewritten by the pitch-black pollution at a visible speed.
And as the pollution spread, the "historical memories" stored within the Dao Throne also began to flip open page by page, like a book whose cover had been torn off and rebound.
Zhou Qingmu saw it. She saw an incredibly grand monastery with flying eaves and continuous palaces, surrounded by clouds and the cries of cranes. That was the Taiping Monastery.
It was the sect of the Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying True Monarch and his home for half a life of cultivation.
In the image, the myriad gates of the Taiping Monastery were slowly closing.
It was not a seal to ward off enemies, but an active and resolute "sealing of the mountain."
Countless disciples dressed in daoist robes stood in formation, their faces calm and pious, looking at a golden heavenly gate slowly opening high in the sky. Ethereal immortal music played, and spiritual light shone brightly. Behind the heavenly gate was an endless array of jade buildings—the word "ascension" that cultivators sought for their entire lives.
And at the very front of this scene of ten thousand people bowing, a figure knelt on the ground with the other disciples, facing the heavenly gate. That was the Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying True Monarch, Zhou Li.
The history recorded in the Dao Throne inheritance described it thus: The True Monarch reached the pinnacle of creation and achieved perfect dao, leading the disciples of the Taiping Monastery to seal the mountain and ascend, no longer concerning himself with the mortal world.
There was no Miasma Tide, no disaster, and no outlier who had turned around alone, refusing to ascend.
"Hum—!"
The entire Heavenly Rites Altar emitted a deafening wail of sorrow.
Zhou Qingmu spat out a large mouthful of blood. When the blood fell on the green stone of the altar, it actually made a sizzling sound of corrosion.
The altered historical memories in the Dao Throne inheritance began to take physical form.
A black filth, identical in origin to the Miasma Tide on Shen Qianqiu and emitting a foul smell of decay, erupted from the core of the Dao Throne like a fountain.
Those clumps of black mud, carrying distorted law power, poured down along the golden light pillar, heading straight for Zhou Qingmu. The moment the black mud touched her skin, it greedily tried to burrow into her pores, meridians, and acupoints.
Just as it had assimilated that period of history back then, it now wanted to assimilate Zhou Qingmu.
It wanted to turn her into a part of the altered history, making her another footnote in that false ending of "ascending with the immortals."
Zhou Qingmu knelt on one knee, her horizontal blade propped in front of her. Her right arm was already mostly covered in black mud, and even the blade of Night Severance began to show a layer of eerie dark rust. This made her realize that the scale of this pollution far exceeded her expectations. The pollution buried by the Longevity Sect in this Dao Throne inheritance was not the work of a day, but a continuous infiltration over centuries; the pollution and the Dao Throne itself had become too deeply intertwined.
She also understood her current state. The successive battles with the four Fifth Realm experts had already consumed a large amount of true essence. Now she had to simultaneously receive the Dao Throne inheritance and resist the erosion of the Miasma Tide. Fighting on two fronts, her origin was draining at a terrifying speed.
Finally, she calculated a core conclusion—she could not purify pollution of this scale while alive.
If she wanted to completely eliminate the future trouble, the only way was to reverse her own technique and use her soul origin as a catalyst to burn away both the Miasma Tide in her body and the Dao Throne inheritance.
Death and the end of her path.
These words surged in Zhou Qingmu's heart for an instant, and then she accepted them with extreme decisiveness.
Compared to her hesitation, what she cared more about were the other two people.
"Gu Chengming!" Zhou Qingmu suddenly lifted her head, looking as if she were squeezing every last bit of strength from her throat: "Leave!"
...
Outside the altar.
Gu Chengming heard this voice.
He also saw that the black mud had already covered most of Zhou Qingmu's body. That filth was spreading at an unstoppable speed, and Zhou Qingmu's aura was rising sharply—not a recovery, but a surge akin to self-destruction.
But he did not turn back. Instead, he stood at the edge of the altar, watching that churning mass of black and gold.
He understood how the bond event for the Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying Art should be resolved.
Without a doubt, this was the most dangerous time... but he did not hesitate for a second and opened the system panel.
【Red Dust Phantom Step—CG: Daoist Connection】
【Daoist Karma: Depending on the depth of the Daoist Karma with the other party, you may choose—】
【1. Obtain an opportunity that should have belonged to the other party.】
【2. No matter the time or place, retreat behind a friend.】
Gu Chengming took a deep breath.
【Activate.】
The laws of Tianque were forcibly twisted at this moment by a more ancient and underlying power.
The "Daoist Karma" between Gu Chengming and Zhou Qingmu was planted with that call of "Vice Commander Gu" on the flying boat, deepened when they fought side-by-side in the thunderstorm, and layered through countless moments of unspoken cooperation in the Tianque secret realm.
This karma was deep enough now.
Deep enough to leverage the ownership of a Dao Throne inheritance.
"Hum—!!"
The entire Heavenly Rites Altar emitted an unprecedented tremor, and the golden pillar of light suddenly shifted direction in that instant.
The Dao Throne inheritance power that was surging into Zhou Qingmu's body was intercepted in the middle as if by an invisible giant hand. Along with the black pollution entangled upon it, it transformed into a chaotic flow of light, breaking free from Zhou Qingmu's control.
"What!"
Zhou Qingmu's eyes widened suddenly.
She felt the power eroding her dao foundation being completely drawn away in an instant. That chaotic flow of light traced an eerie arc in the air and then—following a certain invisible karma line—smashed into Gu Chengming's body.
Zhou Qingmu fell back onto the broken altar, staring blankly at this scene.
As a Fifth Realm great cultivator, she understood the irreversibility of a Dao Throne inheritance better than anyone. But Gu Chengming had used a method she could not understand at all to forcibly sever her link with the Dao Throne.
She had originally been prepared to perish together with the Miasma Tide, but had been pulled back from the abyss in an unreasonable manner by this subordinate she had intended to protect with her life.
But what about him? What was he going to do?!
Unaware of Zhou Qingmu's thoughts, Gu Chengming's attention was now entirely on the Dao Throne.
The Dao Throne inheritance, carrying all historical memories, all law powers, and all pollution, surged into his Sea of Consciousness like a burst dam.
That power was so massive, so chaotic, and so full of contradictions that it far exceeded anything he had experienced before.
The golden orthodoxy and the black pollution clashed and churned within his body, every collision making his meridians emit fine cracks.
But Gu Chengming was in no hurry to claim this Dao Throne.
He knew very well that the Dao Throne was currently extremely unstable.
The orthodox historical memories were fighting with the altered version, and the pollution of the Miasma Tide was still active. If he forced a fusion now, he would either be assimilated by the pollution or torn apart by the clash of the two powers.
He could not fuse with it, and he did not need to.
What he needed to do was another thing.
—Find the truth.
Gu Chengming closed his eyes.
The two versions of historical memories in the Dao Throne inheritance unfolded simultaneously in his Sea of Consciousness. One was golden, fragmented, and deliberately suppressed; the other was black, complete, and a carefully woven lie.
As the Yin Yang Creation Strategy operated, a large amount of red dust aura dissipated around Gu Chengming.
Even with the support of two Dao Throne Wonders, Gu Chengming's body still found it difficult to endure.
The Red Dust Technique transformed into a bridge at this moment. Karma from countless years ago and everything happening on the altar in Tianque slowly overlapped on this bridge.
Gu Chengming "saw" it—not with his eyes, but through the karma resonance spanning ages linked by the Red Dust Technique.
A magnificent monastery.
Taiping Monastery.
At the top of the mountain, the heavenly gate opened.
That heavenly gate was suspended at the deepest part of the firmament, with ten thousand rays of golden light and ethereal immortal music. Beneath this heavenly gate, tens of thousands of disciples of the Taiping Monastery knelt on the ground in perfect order.
Row after row, column after column.
White daoist robes were like snowfields spread across the mountain peak. Every single person faced the heavenly gate, and they were bowing.
Bowing to the heavenly gate, bowing to the immortal path, bowing to that "ascension" that was within reach.
The immortal music became louder, the golden light of the heavenly gate became more brilliant, and spiritual energy poured down from the heavenly gate like a tide, enveloping the entire Taiping Monastery.
—The masses facing heaven.
These four words were enough to summarize the scene.
Among that dense field of white daoist robes, Gu Chengming "saw" a figure.
He knelt at the very front, closest to the heavenly gate. His back was no different from the other disciples—the same daoist robe, the same pious posture, the same facing toward that golden heavenly gate.
That was Zhou Li, the Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying True Monarch.
And at the same time, on the Heavenly Rites Altar in Tianque, the altered Dao Throne's will sensed that Gu Chengming was approaching the truth. That will transformed into supreme pressure, like an invisible mountain, crashing down from the sky and pressing hard onto Gu Chengming's spine.
Gu Chengming only felt the bones in his entire body emit dense cracking sounds. Within the karma resonance, the image of the Taiping Monastery and the reality of the Tianque altar overlapped.
One only needed to bow with the rest to escape all the conflicts of this mortal world.
Everyone around was kneeling; everyone was bowing.
Do not look back; bow to heaven and earth with them to seek the Great Dao.
Gu Chengming gritted his teeth, his spine making a tooth-aching sound. Blood seeped from the seams of his trousers, dripping onto the black stone ground.
In this feverish scene of the masses facing heaven, in this magnificent sight of ethereal immortal music, at the moment everyone was facing the heavenly gate in pious worship—he alone turned his head.
Karma resonated completely at this moment.
Spanning across unknown years, two figures overlapped in this movement, like two mirrors facing each other across ages, finally reflecting one another.
So that was it.
The Taiping Monastery chose to seal the mountain and ascend. The heavenly gate was wide open, the immortal path was ahead, and tens of thousands of disciples bowed together, united in purpose, with no more lingering attachments.
Everyone was a silhouette from the back; only one person turned around.
Because he heard it—
At the foot of the Taiping Monastery's mountain, the cries of the people.
Since then, looking back and suddenly realizing the bitterness of the mortal world, I shall not be an immortal, but save the common people.
At the same time, Gu Chengming's Red Dust Technique finally sensed a massive karma.
It was a great ambition, a great ambition that the Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying True Monarch had failed to complete in his entire life.
After descending the mountain, he traveled the world, using his strength alone to deduce the relationship between heaven and man, and set the rites to stabilize the world. He established the ritual laws that later cultivators relied on. He tried to use rules and order to constrain the harm cultivators caused to mortals, trying to build a framework for immortals and mortals to coexist.
But he failed. One person's strength was ultimately limited. The seeds he planted had no time to grow into towering trees before the Miasma Tide swept in, uprooting everything.
His legacy was altered, his history was distorted, and his name was tied to a fake story of "ascension," becoming a saint who "ascended with the immortals" in the words of later generations.
No one knew his great ambition.
...
On the Heavenly Rites Altar, Gu Chengming slowly opened his eyes.
He took a deep breath, discarded all distracting thoughts in his Sea of Consciousness, and then used the Red Dust Technique as a medium—hum!
The Red Dust Technique displayed its most overpowered side at this moment.
Using karma as a guide and spanning time and space, it drew out the "great ambition" that this True Monarch had failed to complete even until his death and the alteration of his legacy!
That was not cultivation, not magic, not anything a cultivator could produce through training. It was a most abstract concept, condensed from the lifelong conviction of a True Monarch, exceeding the scope of techniques and approaching the Dao itself.
But under the guidance of the Red Dust Technique, it was incredibly massive—so massive that it even resonated with the Dao Throne.
Gu Chengming gritted his teeth as the Red Dust Technique transformed into the most perfect fuse, completely igniting the final obsession of this Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying True Monarch that had never been extinguished, even after his death and the alteration of his legacy.
That extremely unstable Dao Throne could no longer maintain its original form and exploded violently in mid-air.
—I shall borrow your great ambition!
At the same time, the altered Dao Throne's will began to distort violently before this power.
The Dao Throne shattered.
The light accumulated over ages was released all at once, transforming into a visible golden ripple that expanded in all directions with Gu Chengming as the center.
Wherever that ripple passed, the Miasma Tide was like snow meeting boiling water.
Those churning, foul, and sky-covering mists of filth emitted sharp wails upon contact with the golden ripple, and then began to melt from the edges as if ignited by an invisible fire. They were not dispersed or suppressed, but completely and fundamentally dissolved.
Not only the Heavenly Rites Altar, but even the underlying laws of the entire Tianque secret realm experienced a great shock.
The brawny body cultivator and the woman with the hairpin fleeing at the edge of the battlefield, as well as the cloaked figure being suppressed by Shen Qianqiu, all looked at the horizon with eyes full of horror.
The Longevity Sect's thousand-year-old conspiracy, the lies woven to alter history, and the foundations built on countless corpses were all torn to shreds like withered leaves before this True Monarch's pure great ambition spanning ages.
The golden ripple swept through heaven and earth, crushing the thousand-year-old conspiracy and the filth inch by inch.
At the edge of the altar, the residual soul of the old man who had withered following the sacrifice of the Dao Throne was witnessing this. His gaunt face was extremely distorted, his eyes wide, and blood even seeped from the corners of his eyes; he was truly staring with eyes nearly bursting.
He had spent his entire life, even using up the Longevity Sect's thousand-year foundation and his own life, to finally drive this pollution into the Heavenly Dao.
Yet now, all of it was being wiped away by an unreasonable "great ambition"!
"My sect's thousand-year plan!!"
The old man's residual body trembled violently. Even though his physical form had collapsed, that Fifth Realm aura still locked onto Gu Chengming, attempting a final counterattack.
Gu Chengming slowly turned around, looking down coldly at this culprit who had tried to alter history.
In the space above his head that was churning from bearing the Dao Throne, the special attack traits belonging to the 《Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying Art》 brushed down like a waterfall once again.
Only this time, those judgments of "disloyal, unrighteous, unkind, and unwise" shone with an unprecedented, piercing golden light under the support of the True Monarch's great ambition for the common people.
At this moment, all the damage-amplifying traits seemed to be endowed with true heavenly justice.
Gu Chengming raised his right fist. Noble qi, the overbearing body power of Emperor Bai, and the True Monarch's great ambition spanning ages resonated perfectly, transforming into a brilliant ball of fist light.
"Take your disgusting dream of longevity and enter the grave."
A punch was thrown.
The wind of the punch howled like a morning bell breaking the dawn in the ancient long night.
Under the old man's eyes, which were filled with endless regret, disbelief, and fear, that punch crushed his final condensed protective aura and pierced straight through his residual body.
There was no room for resistance; even half a final scream was forcibly blocked in his throat by the violent wind of the punch.
BOOM!!!
This Fifth Realm elder of the Longevity Sect, who had stirred up trouble in Tianque and considered himself invincible, was completely reduced to nothingness along with his final resentment under this peerless strike of intertwined great ambition and noble qi.
Every trace of his existence was forcibly erased from this world, leaving only the golden light above the altar that was gradually returning to clarity.
At the same time, a rule forged by a True Monarch's great ambition and anchored at the cost of an ancient Dao Throne was forever carved into the laws of this world from this moment on.
—World Peace!
【The 《Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying Art》 watched this scene blankly, and for some reason, it smiled while crying】
【Unknowingly, it remembered its original expectation for you—a gentleman should establish peace for all generations...】
【At this very moment, it is absolutely certain that if someone can truly do it, it can only be you】
【And before then, it will stay with you on this path forever and ever】
【Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying Art favorability +10】
【Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying Art favorability: 100/Life and Death Bond】
【Bond mission completed.】
【CG unlocked】
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