Chapter 239: Reflections
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">"The blood star... is gone!"</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">"Gone!"</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">In the Mortal Heart Realm, in the southernnds, all the ancient gods and even ordinary people looked up at the sky.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Where there had once been a massive tear in the heavens, where a gigantic blood-red sun had loomed, it was nowpletely gone.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">What this meant, the ordinary people did not understand, but how could the ancient gods not know?</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">An elderly man wept openly, tears streaming down his face. "The evil god... is gone!"</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">The evil god that had ravaged the Mortal Heart Realm for tens of thousands of years, the one who was even beyond a true god...</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Gone.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">He returned, not too long ago, when the heavens were torn open and that terrifying being beyond a true god had roared in fury.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">The Origin Heavenly God, dressed in a blood-red robe, had entered the tear in the sky from the northernnds.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Five thousand gods followed behind him, swearing to y the evil god!</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">When the ancient gods of the Mortal Heart Realm first glimpsed the corner of the eye of that being beyond a true god, they knew.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">This battle was unwinnable.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">The power of that being beyond a true god was beyondprehension.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Its body wasrger than the entire Mortal Heart Realm.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">The ancient gods, born and raised in the Mortal Heart Realm, couldbine all the resources they had ever gathered, and it would still not equal even a fraction of the power of that being beyond a true god.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">In such a battle, defeat was inevitable.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Yet now...</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">That blood-red sun that had shone over the Mortal Heart Realm for thousands of years was gone.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">The Mortal Heart Realm had won.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">The Origin Heavenly God had won.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">But...</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">"The Pear Mountain Great Sovereign... has fallen."</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">"The White Xi Revered One... is gone!"</font></font>
The elderly man, his hair and beard white, rushed into his cave dwelling. When he saw that all thirtynterns hanging in the room had gone out, his heart was filled with sorrow.
The ancient gods who had gone to the northernnds had left a wisp of their essence in these lifenterns.
The extinguished mes in thenterns meant that they had died in battle beyond the heavens.
The elderly man looked up at the sky, hoping to see the ancient gods falling like shooting stars back into the realm.
But, sadly, he was destined to be disappointed.
In Feihuang City, Huang Mengling, the city lord''s daughter, stood in reflective silence.
She recalled the first time she had seen that young man.
He had been eating at a banquet.
She had invited him to leave Qingshui Vige, which was in great danger, toe with her to the city and even rmended him to join the Ancient Gods Alliance.
That strange ancient god had refused, acting in a mad and reckless manner.
But who would have thought he could...
The memories of those days still lingered before her eyes, as if in a dream.
At that moment, a weak voice sounded in Huang Mengling''s ear.
"My injuries have healed by about thirty percent. Has the Flying Spirit Pce sent any evil gods?"
The voice belonged to Ancient God Yuan, who had been injured and in a deep sleep.
When Feihuang City had faced a crisis, she had briefly awakened, but had quickly returned to her slumber.
Even while healing, she had been constantly worried about the situation in Feihuang City.
Knowing that the Origin Heavenly Godhad in the descending evil gods, she expected a fierce retaliation from them.
Hearing Ancient God Yuan''s question, Huang Mengling was momentarily at a loss.
She didn''t know how to respond.
After hesitating for a moment, she finally said, "The evil gods... are gone."
"Gone?" Ancient God Yuan''s voice was filled with confusion and disbelief.
Suddenly, she looked up at the sky, her expression shifting to one of shock, and then horror.
In her ears, Huang Mengling''s somber voice continued.
"Yesterday, the Origin Heavenly Godled the ancient gods of several viges in a counterattack against those beings beyond true gods... They left the heavens and have not returned."
...
Night had fallen, and the ancestralnd of the ancient tribes was silent.
It wasn''t time for the ancestralnd to be opened, so the ce was empty, devoid of people.
Suddenly, a sh of blood-red light appeared, and Qi Yuan materialized within the ancestralnd.
His expression was neither joyful nor sorrowful as he gazed around.
"Indeed, this is the ancestralnd. Even now, I can sense an intense danger here."
The ancestralnd was filled with countless Puppet Gods lying in wait.
Right now, Qi Yuan was a Yang God, and yet he wasn''t.
In his battle with The Blood Sun Great Saint and The Blood God Great Saint, he had essentially taken a shortcut.
These two had coveted the Mortal Heart Realm for so long that they had absorbed too much of its innate energy. Thus, they had been immobilized by Qi Yuan''s power of "all beings are me" and subsequently in.
But that immobilization wasn''t permanent.
The idea of turning the two into puppets was out of the question.
The likes of Shenlei Great Venerable, Zhu Zhuangshi, and others had used the evil gods'' assimtion technique, willingly bing a part of Qi Yuan.
This was true assimtion into "me."
The innate beings represented infinite possibilities.
In the Cann Realm, if ordinary Yin Gods had submitted to Qi Yuan and used assimtion, they couldn''t have be a part of "me."
"All beings are me" was essentially aw, but it only applied to the Mortal Heart Realm.
If thisw were universally applicable across all realms, or even all universes, it wouldn''t be just any ordinaryw.
Qi Yuan''s gaze swept across the ancestralnd, his expression profound and contemtive.
He then moved to a specific spot that was now empty.
"There used to be a tower here... but now it''s gone."
"The aura here... feels familiar."
The vanished tower gave Qi Yuan a sense of familiarity.
"Is this the Visualization Technique?"
Qi Yuan murmured, beginning to understand.
At his current level of understanding, thew of conservation of energy still applied.
The Visualization Techniques that had appeared out of nowhere had drawn their power from certain special towers in the ancestralnd.
"This civilization''s ancestralnd is quite remarkable. I wonder... is it even from this universe?"
Qi Yuan mused, lingering in the ancestralnd for a moment before disappearing.
"Why hasn''t my quest to protect Qingshui Vige been marked asplete yet?"
The night was dark and quiet.
Qingshui Vige was particrly serene.
But just outside the vige, a number of ancient gods had gathered.
Most of these ancient gods carried a sense of reverence, as if they were on a pilgrimage, looking toward Qingshui Vige.
"A single vige has produced so many Great Venerables. Qingshui Vige... should be considered a sacred ce in the Mortal Heart Realm."
"Sadly, we won''t see them return."
Somemented, their hearts filled with sorrow.
But among them, two ancient gods with sly, cunning faces secretlymunicated.
"With the Origin Heavenly Godbeing so powerful, there must be some secret in Qingshui Vige!" One of the ancient gods'' eyes gleamed with greed, and his body trembled with excitement. "Wang Can, your divine domain excels in stealth. With so many ancient gods here, use your domain to sneak into Qingshui Vige. We''ll split whatever we find evenly!"
Wang Can hesitated. "The Origin Heavenly Godjust saved the world. What we''re about to do... doesn''t seem right."
"Gratitude is gratitude, but profit is profit... Any opportunities in Qingshui Vige would be wasted if left alone. We might as well take them!" The man’s eyes were filled with avarice.
"But... if we''re discovered, we won''t be able to stay in the Mortal Heart Realm!"
"Hmph, we''remunicating in secret. What are you afraid of? No one can hear us plotting.
Even if we take the opportunities from Qingshui Vige and are discovered, so what? If we be the next Origin Heavenly God, what could those other ancient gods possibly do? Even if the Origin Heavenly Godwere to return, what then?" The man spoke excitedly.
If it weren''t for Wang Can''s special divine domain, the man would have acted alone, sneaking in by himself.
A sh of greed crossed Wang Can''s eyes, and he finally made a decision. "Let''s do it!"
As they secretlymunicated, preparing to continue, they suddenly stopped.
Not far from Wang Can, a slender woman was holding a fox.
At that moment, the woman''s body trembled slightly, and goosebumps appeared on her skin under her brown dress.
Wang Can''s expression suddenly changed, and he expanded his divine domain.
He focused on the fox the woman was holding.
The fox was his Heart Fox!
The Heart Fox could hear the mental transmissions of other cultivators!
"Zhao Qingyu, what did you hear?" Wang Can''s divine domain remained active, his eyes filled with hidden killing intent.
Zhao Qingyu''s body trembled as she held the Heart Fox tightly. "Senior, I heard nothing."
She was terrified and furious, just wanting to flee.
"Is that so?" Wang Can smiled. "It seems there''s been a misunderstanding."
But he didn''t retract his divine domain.
Clearly, he intended to keep Zhao Qingyu there.
However, at that moment, a voice suddenly sounded.
"No wonder my quest isn''tplete yet. It turns out... some still covet my Qingshui Vige."
As the voice echoed, a figure in a blood-red robe appeared.
The man had long hair and an exceptionally handsome face, resembling a demonic god descending to earth.
Wang Can and the other ancient god froze in shock.
They were both utterly stunned.
"Origin Heavenly God!"
It was the Origin Heavenly Sovereign—he was still alive!
Zhao Qingyu was trembling, her eyes shining with hope.
She wanted to tell the Origin Heavenly Godabout the conversation she had overheard, but she couldn''t find the words.
However, at that moment, a sh of blood-red light passed.
"Don''t think I can''t hear you just because you were whispering behind my back."
Wang Can and the other ancient god''s eyes widened in terror.
A blood-red aura surged into their divine domains, shattering them as if they were made of thin paper.
Their minds filled with fear, and their bodies fell, lifeless.
Even in death, they couldn''t understand how the Origin Heavenly Godhad known about their plot.
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">They had been whispering in secret, and Zhao Qingyu had been under control.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">With Wang Can dead, the pressure on Zhao Qingyu disappeared. She looked at Qi Yuan, bowed deeply, and said, "Thank you, Heavenly God, for saving my life!"</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">At that moment, streaks of light shed by, and it was clear that the other ancient gods near Qingshui Vige had noticed something was missed.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">When they saw Qi Yuan, they were either shocked or overjoyed.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">The Origin Heavenly God was still alive!</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">"Greetings, Origin Heavenly God!"</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">"Greetings, Heavenly God!"</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">A dozen ancient gods gathered near Qi Yuan.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Qi Yuan gave them a casual nce.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">An elderly man stepped forward, hunched over. "May I ask, Heavenly God, what happened to the evil gods?"</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">The disappearance of the blood sun suggests the fall of those beyond true gods.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">But they hadn''t seen it with their own eyes, so they were still anxious.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">"Dead," Qi Yuan said calmly.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Upon hearing this, the ancient gods felt a weight lifted from their hearts, but Qi Yuan continued.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">"Qingshui Vige is my territory. No unauthorized persons are allowed inside."</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">The quest to protect Qingshui Vige is not yet over.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">The other ancient gods had little reaction to this; they were still processing the news of the evil gods'' demise.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">At that moment, Qi Yuan seemed to remember something. "Earlier, I promised to hold banquets in some of the cities, but I never had the chance to follow through.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Would you be willing to help me with this?"</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Upon hearing this, many of the ancient gods felt a surge of joy.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Zhao Qingyu quickly stepped forward. "It would be an honor for me to serve the Heavenly God in this matter!"</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">The Heavenly God was still alive.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">It was clear who now reigned supreme in this realm.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">"I leave it in your hands."</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Qi Yuan waved his hand.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">"Everyone, please return."</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">His form disappeared once again, reappearing inside Qingshui Vige.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">The ce where it all began.</font></font>n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">The quiet Qingshui Vige was no different from any ordinary vige.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">The crops in the fields were growing vigorously.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">"If my quest is to protect Qingshui Vige, then I should move the vige."</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">"I am Qingshui Vige, and Qingshui Vige is me!"</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">As Qi Yuan spoke, Qingshui Vige began to undergo a strange transformation.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">The stones, bricks, mud, earth, trees, and spiritual rice all began to fade, being absorbed into Qi Yuan''s divine domain.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Qi Yuan''s face paled momentarily before returning to its normal color.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">At that moment, the game notification sounded.</font></font>